
Glass. 
Book 



/ *3 






GUIDE 



OF THE 



MAN OF GOOD WILL 



IN THK 



Exercise of Mental Prayer 



GUIDE 

OF THE 

MAN OF GOOD WILL 

IN THE 

EXERCISE OF MENTAL PRAYER 

BY THE 

Very Rev. Joseph Simlcr, 

Superior-General of the Society of Mary 
of Paris. 

Recte nor it rive re qui recte 
7iov it or are. 
He that prays well, lives 
I 'I .. well. 

,/XQ 3 (St. Aug, Horn. 40, II.) 

\\ %l ■ 

Translated from the French. 



ziea,r 







A plenary indulgence, once a month, on the ordi- 
nary conditions, may be gained by all the faithful 
who daily make a half, or at least a quarter of an hour 
of meditation. 

An indulgence of seven years and seven quaran- 
tines is granted, each time, to all the faithful who teach 
others how to meditate, or are themselves taught this 
holy exercise^ and who go to confession and receive ho- 
ly communion in the course of the month. 

A plenary indulgence, once a month, on the ordi- 
nary conditions, may be gained by all the faithful who 
diligently teach others how to meditate, or gladly re- 
ceive instruction on meditation. 



(BENEDICT XIV., Dec. 16, 1716.) 



APPROBATIONS. 

LETTER OF RIGHT REV. GAY, 

Bishop of Anthedon. . 

To the Very Rev. Joseph Simlef, Superior- 
General of the Society of Mary. 

Very .Rev. Father, 

1 have read with much interest your 
Guide in the Exercise of Mental Prayer. 
You have understood how to sum up in 
this little volume what the most approved 
authors have taught about this subject, 
adding thereto, as was but just, the en- 
lightened counsels of the pious Founder 
of your Institute. To all this you have 
joined such convincing reasons and such 
persuasive exhortations for winning souls 
to the practice of mental prayer that your 
pages all tend towards increasing the 
number of these adorers in spirit and 
truth, whom the heavenly Father is ever 



— IV — 

seeking; for it is always his will that we 
be saved, and nothing is of greater inter- 
est to our salvation than this adoration, 
of which mental prayer is one of the prin- 
cipal forms. 

Not only to your religious family, but, 
as you desire it, to all souls of good will, 
your book will prove useful. May God 
bless your work, and may you be pleased 
to accept, with my sincere congratulations 
for the same, the homage of my respect. 

f Charles, Bishop of Anthedon. 

formerly Coadjutor to Card. Pie, Bishop of Poitiers. 
Aug. 0, 1886. 

LETTER OF Y. REV. E. GRANDCLAUDE, 

Vicar General and Superior of the theological 
Seminary op Saint Die, Doctor op Di- 
vinity and Canon law. 

Saint Die, ISTov. 15, 1886. 

Very Eev. Father Superior, 

I have perused with the liveliest inter- 
est the work entitled : Guide of Men of 
Good Will in the Exercise of Mental Prayer. 
Truly, everything in this precious vol- 



ume, at once brief and complete, calls at- 
tention, and merits the approval of all. A 
doctrine both very precise and exact, 
nice and methodical divisions, clear, at- 
tentive, and unctious exposition, — such 
are the qualities, which, at the first glance, 
strike the attentive reader. It is not less 
noticeable, that the citations are all ad- 
mirably chosen, and drawn from the most 
authentic sources; none other than the 
greatest theological authorities are quoted. 

It is hardly necessary to add that the 
Guide in the Exercise of Mental Prayer 
contrasts strikingly with so many spirit- 
ual works published in numbers nowa- 
days, which are as barren in sound doc- 
trine as in the knowledge of the spiritual 
life. 

We therefore consider the Guide as an 
eminently practical manual, which will 
safely and agreeably lead men on the 
paths of mental prayer. 

Have the goodness to accept, Very Eev. 
Father Superior, the expression of my 
most devoted attachment. 

E. Grandclaude. 



— VI — 

Archdiocese 

of RENNES, April 13, 1887. 

Rermes 
Dol & Saint Malo. 

Very Eev. Father, 

On my return from Eome, I find your 
two little works on mental prayer, and I 
am very grateful to you for this precious 
gift. 

They are such books as are not simply 
read, but read over and over again. E- 
ven after the excellent treatises which 
have been published on this important 
subject, these two works of yours make a 
timely appearance, and will be much rel- 
ished by religious souls, particularly by 
priests. 

You have prepared, Very Eev. Father, 
for the good of your readers, an abun- 
dant harvest of texts from the masters of 
the spiritual life, and you will allow me 
to state that in communing with them 
you have adopted their language, and 
your mind has become one with theirs. 

With all my heart I beseech God to 
shower his graces upon the Superior of 



VII — 



the Society of Mary, upon his devoted 
Brothers, his books, and all his undertak- 
ings. 

f Ch. - Ph. Cardinal Place. 
Archbishop of Bennes. 



Archdiocese 

of Besaxcon, April 9, 1887. 

Besancon. 

Very Eev. Father Superior, 
I make use of your excellent book: 
Guide in the Exercise of Mental Prayer, 
for my own profit, and find therein quali- 
ties of doctrine, precision, and clearness, 
which the methods known to me fall far 
short of, indeed. Permit me to congrat- 
ulate and thank you. Your work deserves 
a place among the classics bearing on this 
subject. Written especially for your 
Brothers, it will be of incontestable utility 
to all those who take to heart the holy 
practice of mental prayer. 

Accept, Very Eev. Father Superior, the 
assurance of my most affectionate regards. 
f Joseph, Archbishop of Besancon. 



— VIII — 

Archdiocese 

of Saint-Michel des Rois, (on my 

Albi. pastoral visit) May 6, 1887. 



Very Eev. Father, 

I thank you for having brought to my 
knowledge your two little works on men- 
tal prayer. The first would deserve a 
less modest name. It is a complete trea- 
tise on this important subject, and it 
can take a very honorable place by the 
side of more important works of the same 
nature. In its simplicity, method, and 
practical spirit, it possesses a great advan- 
tage over several of these works. The 
second, in its catechetical form, sums it up 
in an admirable manner; it is a perfect e- 
pitome of the whole divine art of men- 
tal prayer. I believe both of them very 
useful, not only to your novices and reli- 
gious, but also to seminarists and priests; 
they all will find precious instructions in 
vour work. 

Accept, Very Eev. Father, the assur- 
ance of my very humble devotedness. 
f John Emil, Archishop of Albi. 



— IX — 

Archdiocese 

of Touvent, June 18, 1887. 

Bourges. 

Very Eev. Father, 

I received in due time your letter of 
March 30th last, and the volumes which 
it so graciously announced to me. First 
I perused the Catechism, and very soon I 
understood the necessity of reading in 
full the Guide of the Man of Good Will in 
the Exercise of Mental- Prayer. The occu- 
pations and fatigues of a pastoral visit 
which has lasted more than two months, 
did not permit a rapid advance in the 
reading; but this delay gave me a better 
taste of what I read, and of culling from 
every page of your excellent work some 
of the doctrine and piety, which you have 
so abundantly distributed throughout its 
pages. You have, Eeverend Father, 
drawn from the best sources, but not 
without fixing your mark on whatever 
you have taken from St. Francis, St. Te- 
resa, St. Alphonsus, and other masters of 
the spiritual life: and your mark is the 
limpid clearness which distinctly shows 



X 



the truth, the communicative piety which 
appeals directly to the heart, moves and 
fills it with confidence; finally, the wisdom 
resulting from personal experience. While 
reading your work, one feels that you 
have practiced what you teach and that 
you are entitled to credit. To sum up, 
Eeverend Father,! find your book not on- 
ly interesting, but also very useful. I 
will make it my duty to recommend it to 
all those that come within the sphere of 
my influence. 

Please accept my thanks as well as the 
respectful sentiments with which 1 am, 
Eeverend Father, 

Your very devoted servant, 

f Joseph, Archbishop of Bourges. 

Diocese 

of Saint-Beieuc, April 14, 1887. 

S. Brieuc & Treguier. 

Yery Eev. Father Superior, 

I am very thankful for your kindness 

in sending me your Guide of the Man of 

Good Will in the Exercise of Mental Prayer, 

This Guide deserves recommendation in 

every respect; it shows a wonderful knowl- 



— XI — 

edge of the paths to be followed: it speaks 
the current tongue; it is within every- 
one's capacity, without sacrificing a single 
truth. Happy those who from it will 
learn to live this interior life, this life of 
prayer, without which the exercises may, 
and, to use your own words, do become, in 
time, so many acts of mere routine, with- 
out value and efficacy. 

It is especially agreeable to me, Very 
Eev. Father Superior, to receive from the 
Society of Mary, for which I bear so great 
an esteem, a Guide, called to effect so 
much good among souls desirous of learn- 
ing the art of Mental Prayer. 

Accept, Very Eev. Father Superior, 
with my best thanks my humble attach- 
ment in our Lord. 

f Eugene, Bishop of Saint-Brieuc 

Diocese 

of Beauvais, Beauvais, April 15, 1887. 

Xoyon & Senlis. 

Very Eev. Father Superior, 

The ceremonies of Holy Week and the 
solemnity of Easter, as also the confirma- 



XII 



tions of which I have begun the second 
series, prevented me from thanking you 
sooner for your kindness in forwarding to 
me your excellent work, The Guide of the 
Man of Good Will in the Exercise of Men- 
tal Prayer. As yet I could do no more 
than peruse the table of contents, and to 
read two or three chapters, but I find that 
within narrow limitR you have skillfully 
enclosed a quantity of matter and of use- 
ful instruction. To this work may be ap- 
plied what Tertullian said of the Lord's 
Prayer: Quantum stringitur verbis, tantum 
diffunditur sententiis. 1 will recommend it 
to the Directors of the Theological Semi- 
nary and to their pupils, who, with the aid 
of this work, will advance with rapid 
strides in the art of conversing piously 
and effectually with God in prayer. 

Please accept, Very Eev. Father Su- 
perior, with my thanks, the assurance of 
my most respectful regards in our Lord. 

f Joseph Maxentius, Bishop of Beauvais. 



XIII — 

Diocese 
of Versailles, April 21, 1887. 

Versailles. 

Very Eev. Father, 

I thank you for having addressed to me 
your two little books on mental prayer. 
From a cursory examination of it, I can 
say with certainty that they will be very 
useful and that they are the work of a 
master in this all-important art of divine 
contemplation. I should be very glad to 
see them spread among the clergy and 
laity of my diocese. For my part, I in- 
tend to take them for my spiritual read- 
ing for some time, that I may profit by 
the fruits of your experience. 

Please accept with my thanks, the ex- 
pression of my most sympathetic regards 
in our Lord. 

f Paul, Bishop of Versailles. 

Diocese 

of Carcassone, June 1, 1887. 

Carcassone. 

Very Eev. Father, 
You were so kind as to offer me your 
Guide in the Exercise of Mental Prayer 



— XIV — 

aad also the Catechism which is a substan- 
tial resume of it. I thank you very sin- 
cerely for them. 

In placing at the disposal of every soul 
of good will these two works, originally 
intended only for your religious family, 
you have done a good work. Eest assured 
that you will contribute, in a great mea- 
sure, to advance perfection, to multiply 
souls given to prayer, not only in semina- 
ries and in novitiates of the Congregations, 
but also in the world. Is not this the sole 
recompense that your spirit craves? It is 
awaiting you, I doubt not, and I am hap- 
py to offer you my congratulations there- 
to. 

Please accept, Very Eev. Father, the as- 
surance of my respectful devoted ness in 
our Lord. 

f Felix Arsenius, Bishop of Carcassone. 

Diocese 

of Frejus, March 15, 1887. 

Frejus & Toulon. 

Very Eev. Father, 
His Lordship has perused with the 



— XV — 

greatest interest the book, — Guide in the 
Exercise of Mental Prayer — a copy of 
which you have sent to him. 

His Lordship has charged me to thank 
you in a particular manner, and to assure 
you that he will have nothing more at 
heart than to recommend to his priests 
and religious Congregations your method, 
which is so substantial, so lucid, and so 
well adapted to conduct souls in the path 
of meditation. 

Please accept, Very Eev. Father, with 
the lively and respectful gratitude of his 
Lordship, the regard of your most humble 
and obedient servant. 

Maillet, private secretary. 



Diocese 

of Luc ON, April 19, 1887 

Lneon. 



Very Eev. Father, 

In the name of the Right Eev. Bishop, 
I return you thanks for the book — Guide 
in the Exercise of Mental Prayer, — which 
you forwarded to him. Seldom hasaspir- 



— xvr — 

itual book so captivated me by the pro- 
found knowledge of the ways of perfec- 
tion, by the certainty and extent of the 
rules laid down, by the simplicity and 
charm of its style. Your little book is 
truly the guiding star of the Christian in 
the pursuit of perfection. His Lordship 
desires that it be recommended in the 
Weekly Catholic; we conform to his 
wishes with pleasure. 

Please accept, Very Eev. Father, the 
assurance of my respectful regard. 

Marcheu. 



Diocese 
of Rodez, April 24, 1887. 

Rodez and Vabres. 

Very Rev. Father Superior, 

His Lordship the Bishop has received 
your t\v 7 o excellent works on mental pray- 
er. He has charged me to express to you 
his thanks and sincere congratulations. 
Though small in volume, the two books 
contain precious and abundant matter. 
You have condensed therein the most 



— XVII — 

useful counsels of the masters of the spir- 
itual life, and rendered accessible to all 
the waj'S which men ought to seek with 
the greatest assiduity — those which ele- 
vate us to God. 

Please accept, Very Eev. Father Supe- 
rior, the assurance of my very respectful 
sentiments. 

J. TOURZERY, V. Gr. 



Preface. 



This book was not originally intended 
to cross the threshold of the religious fam- 
ily for which it was composed. Encourage- 
ments on the part of eminent masters, and 
solicitations of many upright souls, who, 
as it seems to us, seek God in the simplic- 
ity of their hearts, have been for us an 
indication of the will of Heaven. This is 
the reason why we publish this new edi- 
tion, and thus answer without delay the 
requests that have been addressed to us. 
This little book will thus truly become the 
Guide of every man of good will. The 
experience which it has already under- 
gone, proves that the Guide is within 
the reach of every understanding, and 
that it is as suitable for seculars, for young 
men, for fathers and mothers of families, 
to whom the Christian life is not a vain 



— XXI — 

word, as it is suitable for priests and re- 
ligious, for pupils in the seminaries, and 
for the novices in the convents. An a- 
bridgment of this Guide, consisting of 
I questions and answers (66 pages, octavo) 
is called the Catechism of Mental Prayer. 
This substantial resume may be read and 
even studied to advantage by every one : 
it is written in such a style as to be easily 
committed to memory by novices. 

We have but one wish to express, and 
we address it to the Blessed Virgin Mary 
whom we have saluted, and made known 
in the 19th Chapter of the Guide, as mod- 
el and patroness of men of meditation: 
Grant, O good and tender Mother, what I 
ask of thee in the name of thy Immacu- 
late Conception, that all the readers of 
this Guide may imitate thy example, 
and may become, in thy school, and un- 
der thy auspices, true men of meditation! 

Paris ; December 8, 1886, 

Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary. 



GI IDE 

or THE 

MAN OF GOOD WILL 

IN THE 



CHAPTER J. 

What the Guide proposes to itself 
and to whom it is addressed. 



1. This guide, dear Header, offers you 
its counsels to teach you how to meditate 
well. It places itself at your disposal, as 
a faithful and devoted friend, in order at 
first to initiate you into mental prayer, and 
to accustom you afterwards to its habitual 
practice. In its capacity as a Guide, it is 
going, as it were, to take you by the hand, 
in order to conduct you more surely to 
this so desirable end. 

2. Do not say like so many others: Why 



— 2 — 

to embarrass myself with a guide or meth- 
od? Has not every one a mind as well as a 
heart to pray? Does not God himself say, 
that to find him it suffices to seek him in 
the simplicity of the heart? Why then 
should I restrict myself to the numerous 
directions of an artificial method? Is it e- 
ven possible to find the way through ail 
the divisions and subdivisions which it in- 
dicates? 

3. Doubtless we can pray, and even 
sometimes make excellent meditations, 
without having previously studied any 
method; it is incontestable, that simple 
and upright souls have arrived at the per- 
fection of mental prayer, under the sole 
guidance of the Holy Spirit; it is even 
certain that the same thing may be said 
of meditation as of every art, for in- 
stance, of eloquence : that the practice pre- 
cedes the theory; meditations have been 
made before there existed any methods of 
mental prayer. Many saints have, at 
first, practised mental prayer to perfection, 
and the masters of a spiritual life, after hav- 
ing considered these models, have taught 



us what to do and the way to take, in or- 
der to arrive at the same end. 

4. But if, exceptionally, the Holy Spirit 
has taken it upon himself to direct certain 
artless souls in the path of meditation, no 
one should count upon this extraordinary 
favor. God wishes us to follow the com- 
mon road, and to have recourse to the nat- 
ural means, proper to conduct us to this 
end; to act otherwise, would be tempting 
God. 

5. It may unhesitatingly be said, that 
those, who despise every method of men- 
tal prayer, will never become men of med- 
itation. There is a great difference be- 
tween making meditation in certain cir- 
cumstances, more or less extraordinary, 
and making meditation regularly, for in- 
stance, a quarter of an hour, a half or a 
whole hour each day. 

6. Considered from this point of view, 
meditation is an exercise similar to all the 
sciences and arts, I was about saying, to 
all the professions exercised or cultivated 
by men; because meditation must be 
made, not merely when we feel interiorly 



— 4 — 

moved or impelled thereto, but when the 
hour has come, whatever be then the 
disposition of our soul, just as we go 
to perform every other function or duty 
of our state of life. There is then neces- 
sarily an apprenticeship and a teaching 
of this science; order must be observed 
and a process adopted; in a word, certain 
methods must be followed, such as are in- 
dicated by nature and experience, which 
put the soul into the dispositions proper 
ior presenting herself before God, when- 
ever she is invited thereto by the rule or 
the voice of conscience. 

7. Viewed in this light, mental prayer 
presents the most exact analogy with the 
exercise of every other art. It forms a 
whole, a body where every part has its 
place and reason of being; where all the 
parts are connected with order and har- 
mony, and afford each other mutual assis- 
tance to arrive at a definite result which is 
in itself the very end of meditation. The 
method is the ensemble of the rules which 
lead most easily to this end. It shows the 
right way, points out the dangers, removes 



5- 



the obstacles, and directs each one in what 
he is to-do, according to the various cir- 
cumstances in which he may find himself. 

8, The Guide is rather a commentary 
of various methods than a particular meth- 
od. It accommodates itself to the method 
you have already learned and followed un- 
til now, and if you are not acquainted with 
any, it does not require you to learn one 
before placing yourself under its direction; 
it suffices, by itself, to conduct you to the 
end. It purposes to teach you what the 
Saints and masters of a spiritual life have 
taught us on the nature, excellence, and 
advantages of mental prayer ; but princi- 
pally on the means of rendering it acces- 
sible and even easy for you, whatever be 
your age, condition, or intellectual culture. 
It tends to make you love and esteem this 
holy exercise, and to cause you to prac- 
tice it diligently and perseveringly. 

9. The doctrine of this Guide has been 
drawn from the writings and examples of 
the Saints; we have therefore multiplied 
the quotations. It has been our chief aim 
to develop this doctrine of the Saints in a 



simple manner, by avoiding all that could 
discourage men of good will and could 
give to mental prayer the false ap- 
pearance of an exercise out of reach for 
the greater number and reserved for a 
few privileged souls. 

10. Behold, why leaving aside all that 
could have the appearance of a scientific 
method, we present the rules in the form 
of simple and practical counsels: it is, ac- 
cording to the title, a Guide that offers his 
services to each one, and says appropriate- 
ly: Do that, avoid this, follow that meth- 
od, take this means, and you will attain 
the end. 

11. On this account also, we lay no 
stress upon the divisions and nomencla- 
tures generally adopted; the technical 
terms, the numerous divisions and sub- 
divisions frighten beginners. Neverthe- 
less we shall employ these terms whenev- 
er that which they signify will be ex- 
plained, in order to show that what at first 
appeared so complicated, is in reality ver- 
y simple. 

12. If this Guide have any distinctive 



characteristic other than simplicity in the 
exposition and fidelity to the principles of 
the Saints, it is the earnestness with which 
it recommends so frequently the indispen- 
sable condition of every good meditation. 
Which is this condition, according to the 
doctrine of our divine Master? It is im- 
possible to be mistaken about it, for it is 
the one whose necessity and efficacy Our 
Lord has on all occasions proclaimed: it 
is Faith. 

13. The role of Faith in prayer is ex- 
tolled by the divine Master with remark- 
able earnestness and evident complacency: 
"Secundum fidem vestram fiat vobis: Ac- 
cording to your faith be it done unto 
you." (Matt. ix. 29.) "Magna est fides tu- 
a : fiat tibi sicwt- vis. Great is thy faith: 
be it done to thee as thou wilt/' (Matt, xv, 
28.) "Omnia possibilia sunt credenti. It 
thou canst believe, all things are possible 
to him that belie veth." (Mark ix, 22.) 
"Fides tua te salvam fecit. Thy faith hath 
made thee safe." (Luke vn, 50.) "Omnia 
quoecumque petieritis in oratione credentis, 
accipietis. All things whatsoever you shall 



ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." 
(Matt, xxi, 22.) One day, the Apostles, 
astonished at not having obtained what 
they desired, asked their Master the cause 
thereof. "Propter incredulitatem vestram. 
Because of your unbelief," Jesus answered 
them. "Amen quippe dico vobis: si habue- 
ritisfidem sicut granum sinapis, dicetis mon- 
th huic: Transikincilluc, et transibit; et ni- 
hil impossible erit vobis. Amen,lsay to you, 
if you have faith as a grain of mustard- 
seed, you shall say to this mountain : Re- 
move from hence to yonder place; and it 
shall remove: and nothing shall be impos- 
sible to you." (Matt, xvn, 19.) 

14. The Apostles formed in the school 
of their divine Master, have in their turn 
lauded the excellence of faith; but no one 
has in this surpassed St. Paul, when he 
enthusiastically relates the wonders oper- 
ated by faith. (Hebr. xi ) His teaching 
may be summed up in these words : "With- 
out faith, nothing is done; with faith, 
nothing is impossible, nothing difficult." 
To express the bonds which always unite 
prayer and faith, St. James calls prayer 



9 



under any form whatsoever , prayer of faith, 
oratio fidei. (James v, 15.) Finally, St. 
Paul, in saying that the just man lives by 
faith (Hebr. x, 38.), declares to us, that 
all the actions of the supernatural life, a- 
mongst which prayer holds the first rank, 
are essentially acts of faith. 

15. There is not a method of mental 
prayer, but speaks of the relation of prayer 
to faith; but we do not know of any method, 
which lays so special a stress on this truth 
and places it so much in relief as we pur- 
pose to do. This is precisely the particu- 
lar end and peculiar mission of this Guide. 
Father Chaminade (Founder of the Socie- 
ty of Mary, of Paris) whom, in preference, 
we have followed in this work, identified 
the exercise of faith with the exercise of 
mental prayer, or the spirit of faith with 
the spirit of mental prayer, or lastly the 
life of faith with the life of mental prayer, 
and he was in the habit of calling mental 
prayer the prayer of faith. 

16. It is then for us a fundamental 
principle, that in mental prayer, as in jus- 
tification, faith is the commencement, the 



— 10 — 

foundation and the root. (Council of Trent, 
Sess. vi, Chap. 8.) Without faith, we can- 
not approach God, still less enter into re- 
lation with him, to speak to him, to listen 
to his voice, to converse with him. Be- 
sides, "prayer under its divers forms, is at 
the same time one of the ordinary man- 
ifestations and an essential condition 
of the life of faith; it is, in some way, the 
breath of the Christian soul. The spirit 
of faith alone renders continual prayer, 
and the special exercise commonly called 
mental prayer, possible." (Const, S. M.) 

17. As shown in the title, the Guide 
offers its counsels to all men of good will. 
A good will is the only disposition re- 
quired by the Divine Master of those who 
present themselves to embrace a life of 
evangelical perfection. "Si vis perfectus 
esse, if thou wilt be perfect?" (Matt, xix, 
21.); "si quis vult post me venire, if any man 
will come after me." (Matt, xvi, 24.) It 
is also the only condition required to suc- 
ceed in the divine art of mental prayer. 

18. Every one receives of God the gift 
of prayer, because prayer is necessary to 



11 



salvation ; every one likewise receives of 
God, to a certain degree, the gift of men- 
tal prayer, because meditation, in its es- 
sential part, constitutes an inseparable el- 
ement of every good prayer. (See art. 39.) 
We say that mental prayer is a gift of God, 
for God does always and necessarily the 
first part in this act; our co-operation is 
however necessary: it is our duty to im- 
prove the gift of God ; it depends on our 
will, to render it fruitful. This good 
will is given to all who ask for it. On 
this account the Guide, w T hile declaring 
that it offers its counsels to men of good 
will, rejects none that wishes to accept 
them. 

19. It is addressed to those upright 
and generous youths, who have under- 
stood that God, their honor, their interest 
and conscience cannot be separated, and 
who have made up their minds to serve 
God fervently, exclusively, and fearlessly; 
to Christian mothers, who, after the ex- 
ample of that strong woman in the Gos- 
pel, are and wish to remain, with God's 
grace, the richest, loveliest, and most use- 



— 12 — 

ful treasure of the domestic hearth ; to fa- 
thers, who understand that their mission 
with the children is divine, and that, in 
order to accomplish it, they must have re- 
course to the Father of lights, from whom 
all paternity is derived, and from whom 
every good gift comes; finally to Christ- 
ians of every age and condition, to whom 
their dignity as Christians, as children of 
God and brothers of Jesus Christ, in this 
life and in the next, always will be the 
most beautiful title of glory and nobility. 
Is it not superfluous to name the religious 
souls and members of the sacerdotal or- 
der, as students of seminaries, clerics and 
levitesof all ranks, priests of the Lord, ap- 
ostolic men, who, without mental prayer, 
can neither sanctify themselves nor labor 
efficaciously at the salvation of souls? 

20. Therefore, whoever you may be, 
whether priest or religious, for whom med- 
itation is a duty and a daily exercise; or a 
Christian living in the world, for whom 
mental prayer is necessary, do not forget, 
that it is by the constant fidelity to this 
duty or exercise, that in reality you will 



— 13 — 

become and remain for all eternity what 
you are by predestination and by your 
vocation as Christian, religious, or priest. 

21. What progress you would have 
made until this day, what treasures of 
sanctity you could have amassed, what 
good you might have been able to do, in 
fine, what source of graces you would have 
found in mental prayer, if you had ap- 
plied yourself to this exercise as God de- 
sired it, if your will had not been on this 
point out of harmony w T ith God's will? 
Unhappily, "few souls only understand 
what God would operate in them, if they 
would place themselves unreservedly into 
his hands and allow his grace to act free- 
ly." (St. Ignatius.) 

22. 1 address myself therefore to you, 
my dear friend, who are listening in this 
moment to your Guide, and I give this 
joyful assurance! You will become a man 
of mental prayer, if you never cease to 
willh. 

23. It is never too late to commence, 
but is always urgent to give one's self to 
it, How many saints have succeeded to 



14 



perfection in this heavenly art, some after 
years which they passed in enmity with 
God; others who were not prepared by 
long instructions and high intellectual 
culture, such as the solitaries of the des- 
ert, St. Francis of Assisium, and many ot 
his first disciples. 

24. You will not fail to draw the con- 
clusion which follows from this doctrine 
and these examples, and you will say to 
yourself: I shall become a man of medi- 
tation, because I will it; and by medita- 
tion I shall enter definitively on the way 
which leads to the perfection of my holy 
vocation. 

25. In what follows, there will be ques- 
tion of that kind of meditation only, in 
which every one can succeed. The other 
kinds are reserved for souls whom God 
calls individually thereto; it would be 
rashness for any one to adopt them of 
his own accord. "We ought," says St. 
Vincent of Paul, "to honor this kind 
of sublime meditations, these unions, 
these passive contemplations, which 
some persons have taught and which are 



— 15 — 

practised by souls chosen and conducted 
by God himself in paths trodden by but 
few. Still these meditations, so perfect in 
appearance, are not always very secure. 
We must therefore apply ourselves to a 
more simple and humble manner of pray- 
ing, until the Holy Spirit shall himself 
raise us to a higher contemplation. 




CHAPTER IT. 

In what prayer essentially consists. — 
what distinguishes mental prayer 

from vocal prayer. mental prayer 

considered as a regular exercise. — 
facility of this exercise. 



26. According to the definition accept- 
ed in all Catechisms, prayer is an act by 
which we elevate our souls to God, to 
render him our homage, expose to him our 
necessities, and ask him for graces. 

27. Prayer is, according to St. Augus- 
tine, an act of humility and piety by 
w^hich the soul lovingly turns towards 
God. Oratio est conversio mentis in Deum 
per pium et humilem affectum. It is, says a- 
gain the same Father, ever}' pious or affec- 
tionate movement towards God: quicum- 
que pius affectus in Deum. It is, as the 
Fathers further say, an elevation of the 
fouI to God; ascensio mentis in Deum; be- 
cause to approach God, is to be elevated, 
since nothing is above God. 



17 



28. This act may consist in a simple 
thought, a remembrance, a reflection, a 
consideration, an invocation, a desire, a 
promise, a protestation. It is always im- 
plicitly an act of faith, of hope, and the 
beginning, at least, of an act of eharity. 

29. This act may be repeated, pro- 
longed, and assume divers forms; then 
prayer becomes a communication of the 
soul with God : she converses with God, 
or rather, she reflects and she humbles 
herself before him; she gives expression 
to her sentiments, desires, needs, gratitude, 
etc. It is what the Fathers call sermocirw- 
tio, conversation colloquium cum Deo: it is a 
divine audience. 

30. Prayer, according to the doctrine 
of theology, is an act of the virtue of reli- 
gion ; when it turns into a habit, it be- 
comes a virtue which depends equally on 
the virtue of religion: every prayer is in 
fact a homage of humility and submission 
which honors God; indeed the object of 
the virtue of religion is no other than the 
honor and worship which we render to 
God. 

UVIDV. 2 



— 18 — 

31. A peculiarity of prayer is to honor 
God by the demand or expectation of some 
special favor; thus prayer is the homage 
of filial confidence; it is, at the same time, 
an act of love and depends on the virtue 
of charity. The fundamental ideas on the 
nature of prayer will likewise serve to 
make you understand better its necessity 
and facility. 

32. Let us first of all show in what 
mental prayer essentially consists and 
what distinguishes it from vocal prayer. 
Mental prayer (or meditation) is, accord- 
ing to the mo^t ordinary definition, that 
prayer which is made in the interior of 
the heart without being produced out- 
wardly by any word. In mental prayer, 
says St. Gregory the Great, the desires 
are the words of the soul : animarum ver- 
ba, ipsa sunt desideria. According to this 
distinction, mental prayer is said to abide 
by the language of the soul ; vocal prayer 
borrows the language of the lips: oratio 
men! alls est locutio mentis, si cut oraiio voca- 
I is est locutio vocis: 

33. To come to a clearer and more ex- 



— 19— 

act distinction between these two kinds of 
prayers, we shall not stop at etymological 
appearances, we shall sound their bottom 
and investigate the very essence of these 
two kinds of prayer. At first do not imag- 
ine, from the meaning of the words which 
serve to designate both the one and the 
other, that the so-called vocal prayer em- 
ploys only words uttered in a more or less 
elevated tone of voice. You can, and in 
fact, you do often say in a low r voice long 
vocal prayers, as the breviary, the rosary: 
you can even perform a kind of vocal 
prayer, without uttering words; this hap- 
pens, when merely with the eyes and mind, 
you read a prayer from a Manual of piety. 
In like manner, we may perform mental 
prayer in a loud voice, whreh happens 
when we express outwardly the senti- 
ments we feel interiorly. 

34. Thus a prayer may preserve the 
nature and characteristics of vocal prayer, 
although you do not give utterance to a 
single articulated word; a prayer may 
preserve the nature and qualities of men- 
tal prayer, although you express your 



20 



thoughts and sentiments by articulated 
words, whether in a subdued or high tone 
of voice. 

35. What then constitutes a vocal or 
a mental prayer? The prayer commonly 
called mental, possesses one peculiarit}^; 
i. e. in this pious exercise, the soul com- 
municates with God without the interme- 
diary of a formula composed in advance; 
she produces acts which remain purely 
interior, or, if she judge it proper, she 
sometimes gives to these interior acts an 
exterior form in terms, which then pre- 
sent themselves spontaneously to her; she 
remains in conversation or in pious com- 
munication with God, following with sim- 
plicity the indications of faith, the attrac- 
tions of grace, the impulses of the heart, 
and the inspiration of the subject of med- 
itation. 

36. In vocal prayer, on the contrary, 
the soul addresses God by a kind of in- 
termediary; she makes use of prepared 
formulas, which she knows by heart or 
reads in a book; she draws from them, as 
from a source, thoughts and sentiments 



21 



which she makes her own, through which 
she converses with God. A great number of 
these formulas deserve all our veneration; 
some were composed by saints, and have 
been officially adopted by the Church; 
some form a portion of the deposit of rev- 
elation and have God himself for their 
Author. 

37. Accordingly, these two kinds ot 
prayer are excellent and necessary. The 
Church imposes long vocal prayers on her 
ministers and the exercise of mental pray- 
er on religious. 

38. This distinction well established, 
let us now examine more closely in what 
mental prayer consists. To think of God 
or of supernatural truths, with at least a 
virtual intention of doing him homage: 
behold the double element which under- 
lies every mental prayer, if by analysis 
we retrench from it what is not indispen- 
sable. Thus to speak briefly, every pious 
thought, every pious wish, is a mental 
prayer, a beginning of meditation. 

39. We may sometimes think that vo- 
cal prayer is for beginners, and mental 



'}'} 



prayer for those who are more advanced ; 
this is an error. Mental prayer, consid- 
ered in its constitutive element, reduced to 
its utmost simplicity of a pious thought, is 
the primary condition, the principle, soul, 
and life of every vocal prayer, even of ev- 
ery action, good and meritorious before 
God. Behold, how Suarez sums up this 
doctrine: Mental prayer is perfect by the 
operation of the soul alone, it requires no 
exterior sign whatever: vocal prayer is 
perfect only by the voice or expression of 
speech, but it necessarily supposes an in- 
terior act, which constitutes its form and 
life; for in the same manner as an exter- 
nal act without the internal can neither 
be good nor bad, and, in consequence, not 
moral, so exterior prayer without the in- 
terior does not merit the name of prayer.' f 
40. St. Francis of Sales gives the term 
interior word to this element of every 
prayer and meritorious act: ''There are 
two species of words, says this saint, the 
vocal and the interior. Now- it is the vo- 
cal word which causes to be heard what 
the interior has first conceived ; and, since 



prayer is but a conversation with God, it 
is certain that to do it without attention, 
is something very displeasing to him ; and 
when we do so, we are guilty of a great 
incivility, and thereby like unto parrots, 
that talk without knowing what they 
say." 

41. When this interior word is entire- 
ly wanting, there is no longer neither a- 
ny mental or vocal prayer nor act of su- 
pernatural life; what is still called prayer 
is but a simple movement of the tongue 
and lips, of which God complains in these 
terms: "Populus iste ore suo ei labiis suis 
gloriftcat me, cor autem ejus longe est a me: 
this people draw near me with their 
mouth, and with their lips glorify me, but 
their heartis far from me." (Isaiasxxix,13.) 

42. When this interior word is exist- 
ing, everything in our life may and does 
change into prayer; when it accompanies 
a nd enlivens our actions, it is cal led the act- 
ive meditation, and all our actions become 
prayers; when it is permanent, it is called 
the spirit of prayer, or with St. Francis of 
Sales, vital prayer, and we accomplish the 



24 



precept of the Lord: "Oportet semper ora- 
re, et non deficere; we ought always to pray, 
and not to faint." (Luke xviii, 1.) 

43. This first method of making men- 
tal prayer has the greatest analogy with 
the exercise of the presence of God, with 
the practice of ejaculatory prayers, with 
the purity of intention, with the habitual 
conformity to God's holy will; it is an ex- 
cellent preparation for the exercise prop- 
erly called meditation, and at the same 
time one of the most precious fruits we 
may derive therefrom; for this reason we 
will on every occasion recommend this 
life of prayer which combines with the 
active life. 

44. Do not exclude God from what you 
habitually say or do; keep for him in 
your mind and heart that place which he 
everywhere occupies as the principle and 
end of all created things; acknowledge 
his sovereign rights, his necessary action, 
and omnipresence; behold him in all and 
everywhere, frequently revert your 
thoughts to him, contemplate him, speak 
to him, offer yourself to him, and all the 



actions of your life, even the most com- 
mon, will constitute a true prayer, your 
life will be an uninterrupted prayer. 

45. Such has been the life of Mary 
and Joseph at Nazareth. Could you 
doubt that the life of the Holy Family r 
was not a continual meditation? And nev- 
ertheless this life was outwardly a life 
similar to that of other persons; they did 
not always meditate, they did not contin- 
ually say 7 vocal prayers, but they were al- 
ways with Jesus, they labored with him, 
contemplated him, loved him! Behold 
w T hat our life can and ought to be by 7 faith, 
by the prayer of faith and presence of 
God ! 

46. Let ns hear again our good St. 
Francis de Sales: "By this is not meant 
that we are to pray day and night in 
order to praise God without interruption; 
but it is as much as saying that we ought 
always to praise God with our hearts and 
affections, having our intention, as much as 
possible, continually 7 directed towards him, 
doing all things for his greater glory and 
honor." 



-,20 — 

• 47. Nothing then is easier, nothing 
ought to be more common than the habit of 
prayer; i. e. the habitual elevation of the 
soul towards God. If this habitual prayer 
were not possible and even easy, do you be- 
lieve that our divine Savior, who knew 
human nature perfectly well, would have 
made it a commandment: li Oportet semper 
or are, et non deficere ; we ought always to 
pray and not to faint?" (Luke xviii, 1.) 
Do you believe that St. Paul, following the 
teaching of the divine Master, would have 
said to us: u Sive ergo mandacatis, sive bi- 
bitis, sive aliud quid facitis, omnia in glo- 
riam Dei facite; therefore whether you 
eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do; 
do all things to the glory of God?" (I Cor. 
x, 31.) Would the same Apostle have 
added: u Sine intermissione orate; pray 
without ceasing?'' (I Thess. v, 17.) 

48. Several Fathers of the Church 
teach how T ever that the precept of our Sa- 
vior, you ought always to pray, and others 
of a like nature, have reference also to 
prayer properly so-called, and not mere- 
ly to that purity of intention continually 



— 27 — 

entertained, and often renewed. They 
Bay that in these and similar passages of 
the Sacred Books, the word always is syn- 
onymous with often, i. e. whenever an oc- 
casion presents itself. Thus we say of a 
man who has a passion for study, that he 
always studies, of a glutton, that he always 
eats or drinks, of an idler given to sleep, 
that he always sleeps. From this they 
conclude that frequent prayer is of divine 
precept. 

49. Indeed, the Christian life, like the 
bodily life, stands incessantly in need of 
being restored; this restoration is done by 
a twofold alimentation. The corporal life 
is kept up, renewed, and strengthened by 
respiration and food proper to its consti- 
tution ; in like manner the Christian life 
is kept up and continually restored by 
the supernatural respiration, which is the 
continual prayer, whose nature and char- 
acter we have just been describing, and 
by a nourishment, which includes prayer 
properly so-called and the sacraments. 

50. The respiration which continues 
during work and sleep does not dispense 



—28— 

with the necessity of hours of repose and- 
relaxation, where our only occupation 
consists in breathing freely, and even, if 
possible, to breathe an air purer than that 
of our workshops and studies, and 
then to complete our restoration by an- 
other nourishment equally indispensable. 
In like manner, the continued prayer, in 
the form of a pure intention does not dis- 
pense with the special exercise of prayer: 
prayer thus practised constitutes, with 
the sacraments, the substantial nourish- 
ment from which the soul cannot abstain 
without dying of starvation. The most 
elevated form of this prayer is mental 
prayer, an intimate communication with 
God, a true intercourse, a prolonged 
visit during which the soul is entirely oc- 
cupied with God. 

51. You are tempted to interrupt me 
here: There lies just the difficulty of men- 
tal prayer, you repeat with many others; 
I know neither what to say nor what to 
do, nor how to pass the time of the visit 
in a proper manner; I am doomed to be 
kept waiting in distractions and some- 



—29— 

times in weariness till it is over. This is, 
in fact, the general objection. 

52. If the exercise of mental prayer were 
as difficult as you think, do you believe 
that the holy Fathers and ascetic authors 
would have recommended it so earnestly 
and so generally? Do you believe that the 
Church would have prescribed it to all the 
religious? Do you believe that the foun- 
ders of religious orders would have o- 
bliged their disciples to lose, in some way, 
a certain time each day which could have 
been more usefully employed in works of 
zeal, of education, of study, or in other 
works? From the very fact that the 
saints recommend it to all Christians, that 
the Church prescribes it to all the relig- 
ious without distinction, to the unlearned 
as well as to those who have received a 
developed literary training, may we not 
infer that mental prayer must be an easy 
thing? 

53. This exercise is looked upon as dif- 
ficult, if not impossible, because often we 
have a wrong idea of it. Only recall to 
mind the acts constituting the elements of 



:>>() 



every mental prayer. We remark at first 
their simplicity: whenever the mind stops 
at a consideration of God, of his sanctity, 
and of his mercy; when the heart is seized 
with a salutary fear at the thought of 
hell; when the will resolves to avoid sin, 
because it leads to hell, the soul produces 
acts which constitute the elements of men- 
tal prayer, nay, which are mental prayer. 
How many perform mental prayer in this 
manner without knowing it, without even 
knowing what, is understood by mental 
prayer ! 

54. Thus as we have previously said, 
every pious act of your soul, of any one of 
its faculties: intellect, memory, imagina- 
tion, heart, or will; good thoughts, relig- 
ious recollections, salutary desires, holy 
intentions, pious acts of fear, confidence, 
invocation, repentance, good purpose, love, 
oblation, are elements of mental prayer, 
which is composed only of such elements, 
of such acts familiar to you, which consti- 
tute, as it were, your daily bread, and 
which, on this account, must be easy and 
natural 1o you. 



—31 

55. When your soul dwells on any of 
these acts, i. e. on this simple thought of 
God, you remain, by the very fact, in 
mental prayer; whenever you strengthen 
these acts anew, whenever you augment 
their number by reproducing and vary- 
ing them, when you co'mpiete them, w T hen 
you prolong them by reflection, you pro- 
long at the same time your mental prayer. 
Whenever you deduce other' acts from 
these first acts, or other considerations 
from these first considerations because 
they are contained in them, you continue 
the exercise of mental prayer. 

56. How often have you not already 
made mental prayer in such a manner 
during five or ten minutes, without being 
aware of it, without even doubting about 
it? So true it is, that mental prayer is 
something simple and easy! It is so nat- 
ural to the Christian soul, that there is not 
a child which, having as yet hardly re- 
ceived some religious ideas from the lips 
and heart of its mother, has not prayed 
thus on more than one occasion. For the 
child, mental prayer consists in its pious 



Q9 



wishes and holy promises, in those artless 
prayers, suggested by its earthly mother, 
and addressed to its heavenly mother, the 
Blessed Virgin Mary. 

57. For young men and people living 
in the world, mental prayer consists in the 
return to themselves, similar to that of the 
prodigal son, in se reversus; they compare 
what they are with what they were; they 
remember the day of a good confession, 
or of the first communion; at a friend's 
death, they think of what will follow this 
life, or of eternity; after a deception, they 
reflect on the mutability of terrestrial 
things, and detach themselves therefrom. 
One day, it is a misfortune, or a casual cir- 
cumstance; another day, it is a reading, 
or a word which moved your most secret 
feelings, and plunged you into salutary 
reflections, your soul dwells on these re- 
flections, these sentiments, and repeatedly 
returns to ihem. How often have you 
not thus experienced regrets, formed de- 
sires and resolutions, which constituted a 
true prayer of the heart, a true mental 
prayer! If it were possible to gaze into 



the deepest recesses of souls, we should 
ascertain, that if these souls, according to 
the testimony of Tertullian, are naturally 
Christian, they are also spontaneously 
drawn to acts of mental prayer, unless 
they are entirely corrupted by vice or by 
a godless education. 

58. When }~ou endeavor, during fifteen 
or thirty minutes to produce these acts, 
i. e. these considerations of the mind. 
these affections of the heart, these resolu- 
tions of the will, as we have enumerated 
them (art. 54), 3^011 make a meditation 
of fifteen or thirty minutes. Do not how- 
ever forget an important remark: mental 
prayer thus prolonged for fifteen or thirty 
minutes is not so much the soul's evoking 
the acts proper to mental prayer, as the 
soul's exerting herself to evoke such acts 
during this interval. The sincere desire 
of communicating with God, or the atten- 
tion, sometimes actual, sometimes virtual, 
is all that is in your power; it is also the 
only condition necessary to constitute the 
state of mental prayer. What is beyond 
this depends on many circumstances, and 

fUTIDK; 3 



34 






especially on God's designs over you. 

59. St. Augustine has exhibited this 
doctrine beautifully, and he comes back on 
it in several of his works: "If you wish 
not to give up praying, do not give up de- 
siring; your continual desire is a continu- 
al prayer: Ipsum desiderium tuum oratio 
tua est; si non vis intermittere orare, noli 
intermittere desiderare; continuum desiderium 
tuumcontinua vox tua est" (St. Augustine.) 
Now what is easier, more natural, I will 
even sa}\ more necessary to a poor and 
miserable soul, than to desire and then to 
a^c for what is wanting to her, for what 
would relieve her, or contribute to her 
happiness? 

60. Since mental prayer, according to 
the testimony and experience of saints, is, 
of all religious exercises, that which offers 
the strongest guarantees to the soul for 
the assurance of her salvation, her ad- 
vancement in virtue, and her final perse- 
verance, is it astonishing that men who 
are possessed of convictions, that earnest 
Christians have made it a law for them- 
selves regularly to perform mental pray- 



er? Who would not be able to find a few 
minutes, a quarter of an hour during the 
day for this holy exercise? It is so much 
the easier as this short time reserved for 
mental prayer will be largely compensa- 
ted by one of the fruits of this exercise, i. e. 
the good use of time. 

61. On this account, the regular prac- 
tice of mental prayer is prescribed by 
w 7 ise directors especially to those persons 
who find themselves inadequate for the 
occupations inherent to the duties of their 
state. The}' give two reasons for this: 
first, that this exercise is the only preser- 
vative against routine and dissipation, in- 
to which exterior affairs are likely to 
draw them; second, that mental prayer 
only can put them in a condition of prop- 
erly regulating their time, by dividing it 
according to the importance of each affair. 
For these motives, St. Bernard recom- 
mended to Pope Eugenius III. the fre- 
quent and daily exercise of mental pray- 
er; and w T e may add that, if the pope had 
not followed this counsel ot his master St. 
Bernard, we would not now invoke him 



— 86 — 

as Blessed Eugenius III. 

. 62. This is likewise the cause of the 
universal custom of placing the dail}^ 
practice of mental prayer among the 
duties of the state of life professed by the 
religious, whatever be the importance and 
multiplicity of their functions. 

"It is a principle of the spiritual life, 
that without mental prayer, it is impossi- 
ble for man to elevate himself to perfec- 
tion. Mental prayer is the common 
source of all virtues; therefore the mem- 
ber of the Society of Mary endeavors 
principally to excel in this exercise; the 
more he devotes himself to it, the more he 
approaches his end. 

"Within the community or without, in 
whatever employment and circumstance 
a member may be, he makes an hour's 
meditation each day, ordinarily perform- 
ed at two different times. 

"Every employment which would make 
it impossible for a Brother to perform 
mental prayer, is regarded as incompati- 
ble with the holiness of the state which he 
has embraced." (Constitutions S. M.) 



Oi 



63. The exercise ot piety prescribed, 
under the name of meditation, to the re- 
ligious of every order by their rules or by 
a custom which has become a law, is that 
of mental prayer, whose elements we have 
just been studying, which the masters of 
a spiritual life have all undertood in the 
same manner, and which St. Francis of 
Sales defines in these terms: "Meditation is 
only an attentive thought, voluntarily re- 
peated or nourished in our mind, in order 
to move the will to holy and wholesome 
affections. " 

64. .Regular mental prayer, such as it is 
practiced in religious communities, is nev- 
ertheless distinguished by characters not 
belonging to mental prayer as practised 
freely by each one individually; it is uni- 
formly regulated for all the members of 
the community, by directions concerning 
the time, place, length, and frequency of 
this exercise, as well as certain details 
which refer to the method, 

65.' Considered as an exercise of the 
Eule, mental prayer, however, does not 
change either in its nature, or in its form 



— 38 — 

and end; it preserves its proper character, 
its facility and excellence, it remains still 
a simple application of the soul to divine 
things, and pious thoughts still constitute 
its elements; if it is prolonged, it is still a 
true interview, an intimate communica- 
tion with God; but it becomes in a higher 
degree the family circle which is formed 
regularly each day at a determined hour 
and for a specified time. At these august 
rendez-vous, the Father of this family 
grants each of his children the honor of a 
private audience, that they may talk fa- 
miliarly with him, and also in order to 
manifest his paternal benevolence. 

66. Taking into account the general 
directions of religious rules, and observ- 
ing the proper nature, the essential parts, 
and principal elements of mental prayer 
as prescribed by the Rule, we can now 
give a detailed definition of it, which will 
be a programme of what is still to be said 
in the sequel. The exercise of mental 
prayer as prescribed by the rule is a regu- 
lar audience in which : 

i. God permits us to approach his su- 






:v.) 



prenie majesty by faith, and to remain in 
his holy presence, that we may render him 
our homage, lay our petitions before him, 
and receive his lights and graces {prayer 
of faith and presence of God); 

2. He reveals himslef to us, by his com- 
munications, his doctrine and works: our 
intelligence thus learns, by a series of con- 
siderations, to know him better, and to 
know ourselves better, as well as our du- 
ties and end (prayer of meditation); 

3. By manifesting himself to our in- 
telligence, God acts necessarily on our 
heart and awakens in it those sentiments 
or affections, which are as elevated as they 
are various, expressed by impulses of 
faith, hope, love, admiration, by remorses 
and regrets, by acts of humility and con- 
fidence, and, above all, by repeated invo- 
cations and earnest supplications (prayer 
of supplication)) 

4. In fine, through the mind and heart. 
God acts on our will; he moves it towards 
good, and confirms it in the best resolu- 
tions: this cannot take place except by 
the union or conformity of our will with 



—40— 

the holy Will Of God, the only unci uni 
versal standard of all that is good {prayer 
of union or of conformity of our will with 
God's will). 

()7. After these explanations, we clear- 
ly see that the object of mental prayer is 
to conduct us, whoever we may be, to our 
end. What is, in fact, the end of man, of 
the Christian and the religious? Js it not 
to know, love, and serve God, and thus ob- 
tain eternal life? Js it not what we learn 
and practice whenever w T e make mental 
prayer. Should this long enumeration 
still present to you, at first sight, mental 
prayer as a complicated exercise, do not 
stop at this first impression; experience 
will soon prove to you that no other exer- 
cise is more conformable to the nature, as- 
pirations, and end of the Christian soul. 






-°e 




)<d>o. 






CHAPTEE III. 

Why mental prayer takes the first 
rank among religious exercises. 



6S. The object of the Guide, as we love 
to repeat, is not only to point out to you 
the road and to lead you thereon, but al- 
so to show, whenever an occasion pre- 
sents itself, the necessity, excellence, and 
advantages of mental prayer: for the 
more elevated your idea of mental prayer 
is, the more you love and esteem it, the 
greater will be the ardor and constancy 
with which you will apply yourself to 
this holy exercise. 

(39. While collecting what the saints 
have handed down to us on the art of 
mental prayer, we have, at every step, met 
with eloquent testimonials of their predi- 
lection for this holy exercise. Without 
interdicting to ourselves later on to recall 
frequently to your mind their examples 
and fervent exhortations, we have gath- 



— 42 — 

ered here some of their maxims and 
words, which could even serve you as ex- 
cellent subjects of mixed mental prayer; 
they would thus produce a lasting im- 
pression on your soul, and contribute to 
make of you a man of meditation. 

70. All the saints, without exception, 
have ranked mental prayer first among 
religious exercises. St. Charles Borro- 
meo, in a synod, went so far as to forbid 
the admission to the ecclesiastical state, 
of all those who were not versed in men- 
tal prayer, whatever knowledge they might 
otherwise be possessed of. Such a una- 
nimity can be explained only by the fact 
that this preference for mental prayer is 
supported bj incontestable motives. The 
saints most celebrated for the number and 
importance of works they accomplished, 
were at the same time those who were dis- 
tinguished for faithfully devoting a con- 
siderable portion of the day to mental 
prayer. St. Francis of Assisium and St. 
Bonaventure were always united to God 
by prayer and meditation; St. Thomas 
Aquinas acknowledged that if he knew a- 



43 



ny thing he had learned it at the foot of 
the crucifix, and it was in meditation that 
St. Vincent of Paul found an aliment of 
his charity. When in the division of 
time, the saints found it impossible to suf- 
fice for all, the}^ acted as in the division 
of an inadequate fortune: the spiritual ex- 
ercises were the privileged creditors of the 
liquidation. What is due to the exercises 
of piety, comes first; if there be a deficit, 
the reduction will bear on the time re- 
quired for the other occupations. 

71. St. Ignatius says: "The spiritual 
exercises (i. e. mental prayer, their essen- 
tial element) are the best of anything I 
can conceive, feel, and understand in this 
world, whether for the progress of each 
individual, or for the fruits, helps, and 
spiritual advantages that can be derived 
therefrom." "Mental prayer," still says 
the same saint, "is the shortest road to 
perfection." It is, as we have already 
shown, the food, soul, and life of the other 
spiritual exercises, which in reality do ex- 
ist, are kept up, and become profitable 
only by mental prayer, and in the meas- 



44 



iire of perfection we have attained there- 
in. 

72. "As the fish can live in water on- 
ly, as it languishes and dies when depriv- 
ed of this element, so the soul cannot live 
without prayer, and when prayer is want- 
ing, the soul begins to pine away." (St. 
Augustine.) In this, as in other passages, 
where this term recurs, the word prayer 
has the signification of mental prayer, 
without which there can not be any true 
vocal prayer. 

73. St. Alphonsus of Liguori especial- 
ly understands it thus: "I can not help," 
he says, "from feeling pained when I see 
that, while the Sacred Books and the 
works of the Fathers so frequently recom- 
mend the exercise of prayer, there are so 
few other books, so few preachers and 
confessors who treat this subject; or if they 
do treat of it, it is too briefly, and as it 
were in passing. For myself, convinced 
as I am of the necessity of prayer, 1 say 
that all the books on religious subjects, all 
preachers in their sermons, all confessors 
in the tribunal of penance, should endeav- 



— 45 — 

or, above everything else, to inculcate 
in the minds of those who read or heal- 
th em, the necessity of praying always, 
never ceasing to admonish them of ir, and 
repeating to them: Pray, pray, pray, 
and do not cease to pray; if you pray, 
you will certainly save your soul; if you 
do not pray, you will certainly be 
damned. 

74. "Out of the absolute necessity bind- 
ing on us to pray, springs the moral neces- 
sity of mental prayer. In fact, when we 
do not meditate, and are continually dis- 
tracted by the multiplicity of temporal 
concerns, we hardly know our spiritual 
necessities, the dangers we incur regard- 
ing our salvation, the means we should 
employ to vanquish our temptations, or 
even this necessity of prayer, equal ly bind- 
ing on all men. In such a state of blind- 
ness, we abandon the exercise of prayer, 
and no longer praying, we are unavoida- 
bly lost." (St. Alphonsus de Liguori.) 

75. Without prayer, no salvation; 
without meditation, no prayer; such is 
the reasoning of St. Alphonsus de Ligu- 



46 — 



ori, and this illustrious doctor of prayer, 
fearing not to have been sufficiently clear, 
adds: "Without mental prayer it is im- 
possible to live without sin, as Cardinal 
Bellarmine used to say. What concerns 
myself; some one may answer, I do not 
practise prayer, but I say many vocal 
prayers. It ought to be known, remarks 
St. Augustine, that to obtain the graces 
of which we stand in need, it suffices not 
to pray with the lips, we must also pray 

with the heart Now vocal prayers are 

most frequently said with distraction, with 
the voice of the body and not with that 
of the heart, especially when these.prayers 
are very numerous, and, besides, said by 
persons who do not practice mental pray- 
er; on that account, God seldom listens to 
them, and rarely grants their request." 

76. "Many persons," continues St. Al- 
phonsus deLiguori, "recite the rosary, the 
office of the Blessed Virgin, practice other 
exterior acts of piety, and still remain in 
mortal sin ; but it is impossible that he 
who perse veringly makes mental prayer 
should remain in mortal sin: either he 



—47 — 

will abandon meditation or be will aban- 
don sin." St. Philip of Neri, a great ser- 
vant of God, was accustomed to say : 
"Mental prayer and sin cannot dwell to- 
gether." Indeed, experience proves, that 
those who give themselves to mental pray- 
er, do not fall so easily into disgrace with 
God; and if they should unhappily yield 
to mortal sin, they will re-enter into 
themselves and return to God, provided 
they only do not abandon meditation. 
"However relaxed a soul may be," says 
St. Teresa, "if the persevere in mental 
prayer, the Lord will finally bring her to 
the port of salvation." 

77. If sin and the spirit of prayer can- 
not remain together, it follows that a sin- 
ner, who makes meditation, is obliged to 
renounce, as it were, his unhappy con- 
dition. It must be added that the prac- 
tice of meditation preserves us from many 
temptations and cautions us against those 
which we cannot avoid, so that the}' may 
give us an opportunity for victory and 
merit. "When the demons," says St. John 
Ohrvsostom. "perceive that we are armed 



48 



with meditation, they take to flight with 
as much precipitation as thieves who are 
caught and who already behold the sword 
lifted up over their heads." "There is 
nothing/' resumes St. Philip of Neri, 
"which the demon fears more than pray- 
er, and nothing which he endeavors more 
to destroy in souls than the spirit of pray- 
er.'' This a commentary of these words 
of our Savior: " Vigilate et orate, tit non in- 
tretis in tentationem : watch and pray, that 
ye enter not into temptation." (Matt, 
xxvi, 41.) 

78. An evil more dangerous in its con- 
sequences than even a fall into sin, is 
lukewarmness. To deliver or preserve us 
from lukewarmness, we know of no more 
efficacious remedy than prayer: it is, so to 
say, the on\y remedy. The lukewarm 
man has lost all taste for spiritual things; 
he is blind, deaf, hardened, insensible to 
grace and to every supernatural solicita- 
tion. The most solemn truths are for him 
like a sealed book, or like a language he 
does not understand. What will en- 
lighten his intellect, touch his heart, speak 






49 



to his will, that his soul may shake off 
this deadly torpor? Mental prayer, men- 
tal prayer joined to vocal prayer. 

79. It is to lukewarm souls especially 
that this declaration of St. Alphonsus de 
Liguori ought to be repeatedly told : He 
that prays will certainly be saved, he that 
does not pray will certainly be damned. 
All the saints have been saved by prayer, 
all the reprobate have been damned for 
not praying. If the damned had prayed, 
they would certainly not be lost. For 
this reason their most agonizing subject 
of despair in hell will be the thought that 
they might so easily have saved them- 
selves, by asking of God those graces of 
which they stood in need, but which they 
can no longer do. Neglect of meditation 
is one of the most certain signs of tepidi- 
ty. Well does the devil know what he is 
doing, when he brings the soul to this fa- 
tal neglect, which is both the cause and 
effect of tepidity. 

80. Perseverance in our vocation, suc- 
cess in the functions imposed upon us, 
victory over temptations, return to God 

GUIDE, 4 



50 






after the commission of sin, lastly, final 
perseverance: should not all this be con- 
sidered as fruits produced solely by mental 
prayer?" (St. Vincent de Paul.) Thus, 
through meditation, we are delivered from 
all evils, and obtain all blessings. "In 
meditation, we possess a universal weapon, 
and one most appropriate to all our neces- 
sities; it constitutes for each of us an un- 
diminishing treasure, inexhaustible riches, 
a port where all is in security, a place of 
calm and peace; it is the principle, the 
mother, the source, and root of all bless- 
ings." (St. Augustine.) "Meditation is the 
basis and foundation of solid virtues; if 
the foundation begins to be defective, the 
building will soon fall." (St. Teresa.) 

81. "Nothing favors our progress in 
virtue more than to be with God and to 
converse with him, which happens when- 
ever we practice mental prayer." (St Au- 
gustine.) "He that is not a man of medi- 
tation, will never arrive at a high degree 
of sanctity, nor will he ever overcome 
himself. All that cowardice and immor- 
tification found in religious souls, proceeds 



51 



only from having neglected meditation, 
which is the shortest and most efficacious 
means for the acquisition of virtues/' 
(St. Aloysius of Gonzaga.) 

82. Mental prayer does not only lead 
to the acquisition of virtue, but it is itself 
the exercise of every virtue. < : Mental 
prayer," says Suarez, "includes all the in- 
terior acts, by which God may be hon- 
ored it makes us practice, not merely 

one virtue, but all virtues. '- "When the 
spirit of prayer takes possession of a soul, 
all the virtues enter therein at the same 
time." (St. Augustine.) 

83. After this, is it necessary to add, 
that meditation contributes most effica- 
ciously to dispose God in our favor? God 
accords his choice graces only to men of 
meditation: "A religious ought principal- 
ly to desire the spirit of mental prayer. I 
believe that without it we cannot obtain 
special graces from Almighty God." (St. 
Francis of Assisium.) St. Francis is him- 
self a living proof of this truth. All his- 
torians unanimously say that mental 
prayer is the first source of all the won- 



52 



tiers God was pleased to work in the per- 
son and through the medium of this hum- 
ble servant. Hence from the day of his 
conversion he was so faithful in this holy 
exercise, that in health as in sickness, he 
devoted the greater part of the day to it. 
Before undertaking an}^thing, he consul- 
ted God and gathered strength in medi- 
tation ; at home as w.eli as abroad, in 
going about, at work or at rest, his spirit 
was in heaven, he was conversing with 
God in meditation. 

84. Our perfection consists in our re- 
semblance to God; the greater our confor- 
mity with God, the more holy and perfect 
is our soul. Mental prayer renders this 
wonderful transformation of the soul pos- 
sible; for as iron is made supple by fire, 
and fit to receive the form which we wish 
it to retain afterwards, in like manner 
does meditation dispose the soul to receive, 
under the influence of grace, those fea- 
tures and virtues, which, day after da}^, 
complete her resemblance to God, to such 
a degree, that she beholds all things in 
the light of God, appreciates them, speaks 



—.63 — 

of them, loves or rejects them as God does; 
her desires and inclinations are like those 
of God; she acts and lives in God, with 
him and for him. "The colocynth," says 
St. Francis of Sales, '-'never tastes so bit- 
ter, than when we have eaten honey. 
When we shall have tasted divine things, 
the pleasures of this world will no longer 
give us any relish." "Children learn to 
speak the language of their mothers," adds 
the same Saint, 'by hearing them speak 
and lisping with them; and we, dwelling 
near our Savior in mental prayer, by ob- 
serving his words, actions, and affections, 
shall, with the help of his grace, learn to 
speak, act, and wish as he does/' 

85. To sum up, when mental prayer 
is wanting, nothing can supply this defect; 
on the contrary, when all the means of 
salvation and perfection are taken from 
us, mental prayer supplies them all. The 
solitaries of the desert had neither exhor- 
tations, nor community exercises, nor e~ 
ven the holy communion, except at rare 
intervals: but they had the habitual prac- 
tice of mental prayer, and this sufficed to 



— 54— 

raise them to sublime sanctity. 

86. Should even meditation be neither 
advantageous nor necessary, we ought 
still to practice it with the greatest eager- 
ness : Is it not a supreme honor for us? 
"Who would not be struck with astonish- 
ment and admiration, considering the 
goodness of God towards us, the incom- 
parable honor he confers on us in judging 
us worthy of conversing with him, and 
of offering him our wishes?" (St. Augus- 
tine.) Is it not already an astonishing 
prodigy, that man, who is nothing but 
dust and ashes, be admitted to a divine 
audience? And yet, this is not all, for God 
has deigned to invite us, to press us, to a- 
wait us, and make us the most magnifi- 
cent promises, as if he were to be benefit- 
ed by this ineffable condescension. "This 
honor," adds St. Augustine, "surpasses 
the dignity of the angels; it is so sublime 
that our reason is unable to comprehend 
it in all its grandeur." 

87. Can we not share in the enthusi- 
asm of St. Augustine, repeating with him: 
u Qiad est orations prceelariusf quid vitw 



00 



nostras utiliusf quid animo dulcius? quid 
in tot a nostra religione sublimiusf Is there 
anything more honorable, more useful to 
our life, more delicious to our soul, more 
sublime in our holy religion than mental 
prayer?" Therefore it is an evident sign 
of folly not to understand the greatness 
of the honor there is in prayer, and not to 
love this holy exercise." (St. John Chrys- 
ostom.) Has not this been our follv for 
too long a time? How many hours, how 
many graces, we have lost! In order to 
guard against such losses during the re- 
mainder of our life, let us not pass a day 
without having examined ourselves on our 
fidelity in the exercise of mental prayer. 



CHAPTER IV. 

HOW WE ARE TO MAKE MENTAL PRAYER, 

AND FIRST, HOW WE ARE TO DISPOSE 
OURSELVES FOR IT IN OUR DAILY LIFE 
BY THE "REMOTE PREPARATION." 



88. After these preliminary notions, 
we finally come to the exercise of mental 
prayer itself. It is, as we have said, a 
divine audience. We shall frequently re- 
vert to this comparison; it will help us 
better to understand, retain, and classify 
our counsels and explanations. 

89. In every audience deserving of 
this name, certain things are to be done 
and observed: i. previous to the audience, 
to prepare worthily for it; 2. during the 
audience, to employ the time properly; 
3. after the audience, to bring it to a suc- 
cessful termination. This gives us the 
three parts of mental prayer; you know 
the names by which they are generally 
designated : 1. the preparation; 2. the body 



.)i 



of mental prayer; 3. the conclusion. 

90. Any person who obtains an audi- 
ence of the Pope or the Sovereign, es- 
teems himself happy on account of this 
mark of honor and benevolence; he can- 
not help thinking of it; he prepares and 
foresees whatever could dispose the Pope 
or Sovereign in his favor. Are you not 
the object of a distinction a thousand 
times more desirable? Are you not in- 
vited to a far more august audience? 
Could you allege any excuse if, in your 
levity and indifference, you would go so 
far, as not even to judge it worthy of a 
previous consideration? 

91. Faith and reason both make known 
to the Christian and even impose on him 
the duties which prepare him to appear 
before God in a worthy manner. Of these 
duties, we shall mention the principal 
ones, from which the others are derived. 
They are, besides a great esteem of this 
favor, separation from whatever could dis- 
please the Divine Majesty, and the re- 
search for whatever could merit us a fa- 
vorable reception. 



— 58 — 

. 02. "Si scires donum Dei, if thou didst 
know the gift of God! ; ' (St. John iv, 10.) 
It is truly the case to repeat this word 
here, for never shall we be able to under- 
stand fully the honor God does us in call- 
ing us to a confidential audience which is 
a true and most cordial tete-a-tete, ^ev- 
er cease, even after twenty or forty years 
of practice, to question your faith on the 
mystery of mental prayer, because it will 
unfold to your view, each day, new sub- 
jects of admiration ; never will you under- 
stand the Supreme Beiug^df^God, your 
nothingness, and, in consequence, what 
ought to be the nature of the interview 
between the Creator and the creature, be- 
tween such a Father and such a child! Da 
mihi wieUectam (Ps. cxviii.), Lord, give 
me understanding of these things, and do 
not permit that 1 ever regard th«m with 
indifference. 

93. The principal obstacles which pre- 
vent us from making mental prayer well, 
are attachment to sin, slavery of the 
senses and passions, especially dissipation, 
and im mortification of the tongue. 



— 59 — 

94. In proportion as faith will en- 
lighten you more vividly about the maj- 
esty of God, and the baseness of your 
nonentity, you will feel impelled, when 
on the point of being admitted into the 
presence of God, to remove whatever 
could be offensive in his sight, and in the 
first place, to remove sin. Our Lord has 
declared: '-Blessed are the clean of heart, 
for they shall see God." Without purity 
of heart, we cannot be allowed to see God, 
to present ourselves before him, to speak 
to him as it is done in mental prayer, he- 
cause sin constitutes a wall of separation 
between God and man. 

95. But remark it well ; it is properly 
the malice of sin, i. e. the inordinate will, 
which constitutes this obstacle; remove ob- 
stinacy, guilty complacency in sin, and 
the wall of separation will crumble, and 
with the prodigal son, the penitent Mag- 
dalen, the Samaritan woman, the good 
thief, you will obtain a hearing, and like 
the publican, you will return filled with 
benedictions. Who could hinder the sin- 
ner from drawing near to God? Perhaps 



— 60 — 

our Lord? But remember what he paid: 
:i J came to call the sinners, and not the 
just: those that are sick stand in need of a 
physician." Therefore neither past not- 
actual sins are an obstacle; on the con- 
trary, they establish a more urgent ne- 
cessity to go to God, and even present 
a greater facility of being eagerly re- 
ceived. The Gospel confirms it; try, 
sinners. 

96. Falls and relapses into sin, when 
they are the result of our weak nature 
and inconstant will, bad habits which we 
endeavor to overcome, are precisely cured 
by the exercise of mental prayer; but the 
voluntary attachment to sin, however 
much it may be concealed by exterior 
practices of piety, great activity, continu- 
al labor, and even by the tears and sighs 
of tenderness; also affection for certain 
favorite sins, though otherwise not very 
grievous in themselves: behold what 
hinders us when we present ourselves 
before God to converse with him in men- 
tal prayer. 

97. We have also mentioned the slav- 



— Cil- 
ery of the senses and passions which keep 
us under the shameful yoke of the devil: 
he who habitually seeks his gratification 
in eating and other gross enjoyments w T ill 
never be a man of meditation. "The sen- 
sual man/' says St. Paul, 'perceiveth not 
the things that are of the Spirit of God. 
Animalis homo nori percipit ea quce sunt 
Spiritus Dei." (I Cor. ii, 14.) It is su- 
perfluous to insist on this point, for who 
does not understand that there can be 
no more intimate relation between God 
and the man who is a slave of Satan, than 
there can be between light and darkness, 
between day and night? When one comes, 
the other disappears. 

98. An obstacle to every serious inter- 
course with men and a fortiori with God is 
the want of restraint in speech, a habitual 
dissipation, which results from lack of 
control over one's self, over the mind and 
heart, and which never leaves man the 
possibility to state with any certainty, at 
any moment, what he will say or do the 
next moment. Hence he who is con- 
scious of being subject to this fault, should 



\-> 



u: 



incessantly struggle against it, till it bo 
overcome; otherwise he vvill never be a 
man of mental prayer. Recollection, a 
habit of silence, is an indispensable con- 
dition of success in mental prayer: u Du- 
cam earn in solitiidinem, et loquar ad cor e- 
jus. (Osee ii. 14) Before God speaks 
to a soul, she must be in the solitude of 
recollection/' Further on, we shall have 
occasion to indicate the manner of com- 
bating dissipation. 

99. All that keeps us from God, and 
repels us when endeavoring to approach 
him, is summed up in pride, in the search 
of our own gratification, in one word, 
in the more or less avowed worship of 
ourselves. In order to find God, we 
must, after all, deny ourselves; hence, the 
necessity of renunciation, self-denial, mor- 
tification, and all the other virtues which 
are death to the old man; hence, also, the 
necessity of humility which alone can in- 
troduce us to God, and draw down upon 
us the regards of his benevolence and the 
effusion of his graces. To a person who 
asked how to make meditation. St. Philip 



63 



of Neri answered : "Be humble and obe- 
dient, and the Holy Spirit will teach you 
what you desire to know.'* And in 
another place: "An excellent means to 
learn how to make mental praj T er, is to con- 
sider one's self unworthy of this benefit." 

100. "The true preparation for mental 
prayer consists in mortification ; he who 
wishes to make meditation without mor- 
tifying himself, is like a bird that attempts 
to fly before it has feathers/' (St. Philip of 
Heri.) St. Vincent of Paul says: "The best 
disposition we can bring to prayer and 
meditation, is humility, the conviction of 
our nothingness, the mortification of our 
passions and natural inclinations, which 
entice us into sin, interior recollection, 
purity of intention, remembrance of God s 
presence, entire conformity to his will, 
frequent aspirations to his divine Good- 
ness." 

101. The habitual remembrance of 
God, kept up by frequent aspirations, is a 
remedy against dissipation, favors inte- 
rior recollection, and leads us to dispose 
our soul in such a manner, as to render her 



(U 



pleasing to God. On this account the 
masters of a spiritual life recommend these 
practices with as much strength as una- 
nimity. "In the exercises of the spiritual 
retreat (i. e. spiritual recollection) and e- 
jaculatory prayers/' says St. Francis of 
Sales, '-lies the greatness of devotion. It 
supplies the want of all other prayers ; but 
its absence can scarcely ever be filled in 
any other way." 

102. "It is admitted as a principle that 
he who does not adopt the happy custom 
of living in God's presence, will never be 
a man of meditation. We strangely de- 
ceive ourselves in believing that it suffices 
to make, by routine, some acts of faith, 
adoration, humility, contrition, before en- 
tering upon the subject-matter of medi- 
tation. These acts, said in a purely me- 
chanical way, signify nothing, do not, in 
the least, make the soul recollected, but 
leave her open to distractions and dissipa- 
tion. (Father Chaminade.) 

103. "Nothing," continues St. Fran- 
cis of Sales, "nothing so well disposes the 
soul to an intimate union with God, than 



— 65 — 

the frequent use of ejaculatory prayers. 
Let us take care to begin no action with- 
out offering it to the Lord; and, whatever 
be our occupation, let us not even spend 
one quarter of an hour without raising 
our hearts to God by a fervent act of pie- 
ty. Let us also endeavor to profit, as 
much as possible, of every leisure moment 
to unite ourselves to God; as, when we 
are expecting some one, or when going 
from one place to another, or when con- 
fined to bed by sickness. 




CHAPTER V. 

HOW WE MUST PREPARE OURSELVES FOR 
MENTAL PRAYER DURING THOSE MOMENTS 
THAT PRECEDE THE EXERCISE, OR HOW 
TO MAKE THE "PROXIMATE PREPARA- 
TION." 



104. When the time for meditation ap- 
proaches, ponder over the subject of the 
audience, and make your final arrange- 
ments. To think of nothing, would be 
exposing one's self to appear before God 
like a man -who knows neither what 
to say nor what to do, i. e. like a man 
who tempts God. Ct Ante oration em prcepa- 
ra animam tvam, et noli esse quasi homo qui 
tentat Deum" (Eccl. xviii, 23.) Here, a- 
gain, faith and the simplest notions of pro- 
priety require, besides greater recollection 
at the approach of meditation : 1. the se- 
lection of the subject; 2. exactness for the 
hour and place of rendezvous. 



—Ch- 
ios. The selection of the subject bears 
relation to the fruit or result you wish to 
derive from this intercourse. It is made 
in the evening for the meditation of the 
next morning; for the evening meditation 
it is done in the course of the day, for in- 
stance, during a visit to the Most Holy 
Sacrament, or during Spiritual reading: 
what it imports you, is that you have a 
fixed time for making this choice. Some- 
times you may abide by the subject chos- 
en for the entire community and read by 
the religious charged with this duty ; some- 
times you may foresee a particular sub- 
ject, and relating to the state of your soul; 
sometimes you may revert to a subject 
already known and meditated upon, re- 
volving it rapidly in your mind; lastly, 
you may, from time to time, meditate 
upon a text taken from a good book you 
have with you. In all this you will be 
guided by the end you propose to your- 
self, and which is no other than the fruit 
of the meditation. It happens sometimes 
also that God chooses the subject for you, 
either by speaking to your heart, or 



— 68 — 

striking your mind by the remembrance 
of a past event, by an unforeseen issue, or 
by a sudden spectacle. When God speaks 
to us first, it i* our duty to listen and to 
follow; bat he did not bind himself to fur- 
nish us with a subject for the interview; 
we are therefore obliged to select it our- 
selves. 

106. According to these principles, 
those souls given to trouble and to fear 
will meditate oftener on the gooodness and 
mercy of God, on the beautiful and touch- 
ing parables of the Gospel relating to 
this subject, on the holy Eucharist, and 
more frequently on the Passion of Jesus 
Christ, it seems to us that a true disci- 
ple of our Lord, whatever the state of his 
soul may be, ought to meditate on the Pas- 
sion at least once a week. 

107. The great truths of our religion, 
the last things of man, sin, tepidity, etc., 
will also furnish useful subjects of medita- 
tion* each week, except for timorous souls, 
such as we have just mentioned. Prayer, 
in general, considered as the great means 
of salvation, the principal prayers and or- 



— 69-- 

dinary practices of the Christian, morn- 
ing and evening prayers, holy Mass, con- 
fession, communion, practices of piety to 
the Sacred Heart, to the Blessed Virgin, 
and other fundamental devotions: behold 
another source of subjects from which we 
should not fail to draw frequently. Fi- 
nally the Gospel, the lite and teachings of 
our Divine Master, evidently constitute 
the most abundant source. 

108. In the choice of subjects we 
would do well to adapt them to the feasts 
which the Church celebrates and to the 
mysteries which she commemorates on 
certain days and at certain periods. Thus 
during Advent and after Christmas, we 
may meditate sometimes on the incarna- 
tion and Childhood of our Savior; during 
Lent, on the Passion; during Easter-time, 
on bis Kesurreetion, etc.; Thursdays, on 
the Most Holy Sacrament; Fridays, on 
our Lord's Passion ; and Saturdays, on the 
Blessed Virgin. 

109. All these subjects are treated in 
meditation books; these books are a great 
help, but only on condition that we do not 



—70 — 

take the subjects in the order of succes- 
sion day after day. No book could have 
its contents so disposed as to be best suit- 
ed each day to the wants of a community 
or an individual. The wants and state 
of a soul depend on many circumstances 
which it impossible to foresee a long time 
in advance. Often it happens that the 
appropriateness of a meditation strikes 
us more than the subject itself; therefore 
we repeat, as to what regards the subject 
of meditation, let us not regret the time 
we spend in making a good choice of it. 

110. We say that this choice depends 
greatly on the dispositions of those who 
make meditation. The masters of a spiritu- 
al life do, indeed, distinguish three states 
in the Christian life: the state of those 
who commence, the state of those who 
advance, and the state of those who have 
reached the end; in other words, the be- 
ginners, the intermediate, and the perfect. 
It suffices to indicate this distinction that 
you may at once perceive it to be founded 
on reason. It is not established accord- 
ing to the intensity of the dispositions, 



— 71 — 

but according to the nature of the acts 
and efforts proper to each class; if it were 
founded on their intensity, really, the 
number of distinctions and degrees would 
be almost infinite. 

111. The beginners are evidently those 
that put themselves to the work, and are 
determined to serve God according to 
their duty. Their principal labor is to 
put lo death the old man, by waging war 
against sin, and,especially,against the hab- 
it of sin. For them, the subjects of medi- 
tation turn most frequently on the solemn 
truths of our holy religion : the end of man, 
salvation, sin and its ravages in the soul, 
its punishment and expiation in the fal- 
len angels, in our first parents, in the Pas- 
sion and Death of our Lord ; the four last 
things: death, judgment, hell, and heaven. 
To these subjects we may add others ca- 
pable of reanimating hope and love; like 
the parable of the prodigal Son, of the 
good Shepherd, and the kindness of Jesus 
in receiving penitent sinners. They 
should also meditate on Mary's tender 
love and compassion for contrite sinners, 



72 



whose assured refuge she is, etc. Thus 
the beginners endeavor to awaken in their 
hearts sentiments of repentance, confu- 
sion, and fear, afterwards of confidence and 
love; but above all do they take a firm 
resolution, cost what it may, to fight a- 
gainst sin and whatever leads to it. This 
state of things will last as long as the pas- 
sions are not easily overcome, and mortal 
sins not habitually avoided. 

112. The intermediate, or those who 
advance, are such Christians as try to put 
on Jesus Christ by the imitation of his 
virtues; they succeed in avoiding mortal 
sins habitually, but easily fall into venial 
sins, allow themselves to be drawn to ex- 
terior things, and are not sufficiently 
master over the movements of their hearts. 
They, however, understand the excellence 
of the Christian life, the beauty of virtue ; 
they endeavor not to commit venial sins 
deliberately and purposely. The most 
appropriate subjects of meditation for 
them are the examples of our Lord, of the 
most Blessed Virgin, and the Saints, also 
the advantages arising from the practice 



73 



of virtue. It is likewise useful for 1hem 
to take as subjects of meditation, the com- 
mandments of God and the Church, the 
duties of their state, etc.; and if they are 
religious, the Rule and evangelical coun- 
sels, the Christian and religious virtues, as 
faith, hope, charity, humility, self-denial, 
poverty, chastity, obedience, prudence, 
justice, fortitude, temperance, etc. 

113. Those who find their greatest 
happiness in the remembrance and ser- 
vice of God, are called the perfect; they 
abhor venial as well as mortal sins. They 
are habitually united with him by the 
thought of his presence, the purity of their 
intention, their conformity to his holy 
Will, i. e. by the bonds of a perfect love. 
They meditate with ease and profit on 
God and his attributes, chiefly on his 
goodness and mercy, on his love for man, 
on the mysteries of our holy religion, the 
holy Eucharist, the Passion, etc. 

114. These three states are also called 
the purgative, the illuminative, and the il- 
lative way ; or also, the state of penitence, of 
justice, and of perfection ;. everyone wiJlea- 



sily understand the reasons for these de- 
nominations. Remark it well, however, 
that this distinction can not be absolute. In 
fact, perfection, in this world, has its short- 
comings and imperfections, and many a 
sinner is capable of generous efforts with- 
out quitting the state of beginners. We 
find ourselves in one or the other of .these 
three states, according as the characters 
of that state predominate in us. It is 
scarcely necessary to say that the dura- 
tion of these states is not the same for all. 

115. We have said that mental prayer 
is a divine audience. We should be inex- 
cusable, were we to miss the time appoint- 
ed for an audience, with which a great 
personage would honor us; ought we to 
have less regard for Almighty God than 
for an earthly prince. Arrange therefore 
your affairs so as to cause neither delay 
nor omission ; the hour of the Eule is God's 
hour: never forget it, if you wish to be- 
come a man of meditation. 

116. In all religious orders, mental 
prayer takes place in the first morning 
hour, and when it is divided into two 



iO 



parts, the second part takes place in the 
evening. Mane et vespere tempus est orati- 
onis opportunum. (St. Bonavcnture.) .Rea- 
son and faith are in accordance on this 
point. For it is in the morning that the 
children gather around their father to re- 
ceive his orders, advices, counsels, encour- 
agements, and blessing for the daily la- 
bors. "Cor suum tradet ad vigilandum di- 
luculo ad Dominum qui fecit ilium, et in 
conspectu Altissimi deprecabitur. The wise 
man will give his heart to resort early to 
to the Lord, that made him: and he will 
pray in the sight of the most High." 
(Eccl. xxxix, 6.) "Oportet prcevenire so- 
lem ad benedictionem tuam, et ad or turn lu- 
cis te adorare. We ought to prevent the 
sun to bless thee, and adore thee at the 
dawning of the light." (Wisdom xvi, 28.) 
"In matutinis meditabor in te: I will med- 
itate on thee in the morning" (Ps. lxii, 
7.), lastly says the Royal Prophet. In the 
evening the children feel happy to re-as- 
semble for a few moments around their 
father, to give him an account of their 
day's work, humbly to avow their, negli- 



— 76 — 

gences and ask his pardon, to tell hini how 
happy they are in serving such a father 
and also to receive a last blessing before 
lying down to sleep. The Divine Master 
himself was accustomed to retire, in the 
evening, into solitude for prayer. "The 
body should not lie down to rest, before 
the soul has been strengthened by medita- 
tion, which is its food. Non prius corpus- 
culum requieseat quam anima pascatur" 
(St. Jerome.) A recollection, or a medita- 
tion of a few minutes at this time of the 
da}' is never impossible, whatever be the 
circ'e in which we move, or the press of 
bu-in fs incumbent on us. 

117. "He that seeks God, finds him ev- 
erywhere and at all times/' says St. Al- 
phonsus of Liguori; w r e can therefore 
meditate, as we have already said, in any 
place, at home and elsewhere, even while 
walking, working, or traveling. But 
when t here is question of an exercise of the 
Rule. Hod awaits us where the communi- 
ty a*>>'embles. Special graces are attached 
to prsiyers said in common: "Ubi enim 
sunt duo vel tres congregati in nomine meo, 



i i 



ihi sum in medio eorum. For where there 
are two or three gathered together in my 
name, says our Lord, there am I in the 
midst of them." (Matt, xvm, 20.) He 
that fails to be present at the rendez-vous, 
will deprive himself of those special 
graces. If any one should however be kept 
away from the community, not by any 
fault of his own, but on account of his du- 
ties, he would share in all the advantages 
of his fellow-brothers. What can be want- 
ing, to us, when we are where God wishes 
us to be? Does he not await us there 
where he calls us? 

118. If yon are sometimes obliged to 
make meditation in a place which does 
not seem proper, recall to mind the ex- 
amples of the saints, who knew how to be 
recollected and to pray in the midst of tu- 
mult when they were prevented from re- 
tiring into privacy. St. Catherine of Si-* 
onna was accustomed to consider her bod- 
y as a temple. When St. Philip of Neri 
was walking through the streets, he was 
so bereft of his senses, that ho stood in 
need of a monitor who would warn him 



7S 



to salute those who had a right to this 
mark of attention. 

119. Undoubtedly, the indispensable 
condition is the solitude of the heart; but 
the solitude of the body is also required. 
Our Savior himself recommends it: "Tu 
autem, cum oraveris, intra in cubiculum tu- 
urn, et clauso ostio, ora Patrem tuum in ab- 
scondito. When thou shalt pray, enter in- 
to chamber, and having shut the door, 
pray to thy Father in secret." (Matt, vi, 
6.) Let us then look for tranquillity as 
much as we can, although by itself it 
would not suffice: "Quid prodest solitudo 
corporis, si solitudo defuerit cordis?" (St. 
Gregory ]SIazianzen.) 

120. But the proper place for prayer, 
according to the testimony of our Lord 
himself, is the church, the chapel, the or- 
atory : first, because it is the house of God, 
domus Fatrismei (St. John it, 16.); is it 
not meet that we visit God where he 
deigns to reside? then, because the church 
is a house of prayer, the house which God 
has given us as our rendez-vous: Domus 
men, domus omtionis est. (Luke xtx, 46."): 



— W — 

finally, it is in a particular manner proper 
manner to make the meditation before the 
Holv Tabernacle. Ecce tabernaculum Dei 
cum hominibus; there it is that God meets 
man. On this account our Eules invite us 
to make our meditation at this place 
v\ henever it is possible,. 




CHAPTER VI. 

What is to be done at the beginning 
of mental prayer, or in wllat the 
"immediate preparation," or the 
"prayer of faith and of the pres- 
ence of god" consists. 



121. By the immediate preparation, 
we are, in some manner, ushered into the 
divine presence; this preparation is done 
at the very hour and place of rendezvous 
with God, and comprises: i. the invoca- 
tion of the Holy Ghost, the Blessed Vir- 
gin, and our Guardian angel who acts as 
usher; 2. an act of faith in God's presence, 
and of union with our Lord; 3. other acts 
which follow from this act of faith ; as, acts 
of humility, confidence, adoration, etc. 
During these acts or at their close, we pro- 
ceed to the subject of the interview. 

122. The invocation of the Holy Ghost 
and the Blessed Virgin, for which we 
make use of the woll-known formula, the 






— si — 

Veni Sancte and Ave Maria, is placed at 
the commencement of our principal ac- 
tions. Mental prayer is a supernatural 
act for which the co-operation of the Ho- 
ly Spirit is directly necessary; because as 
stated in the definition, all the acts of men- 
tal prayer are produced under the influ- 
ence of grace. We must therefore apply 
unreservedly to prayer, what our Lord 
and the Apostles teach us about our utter 
impossibility of producing by ourselves, i.e. 
without a supernatural help, the least act 
of this nature. " Sine me nihil potestis fa- 
cere; without me you can do nothing." 
(St. John xv, 5.) u Non sumus svfficientes 
cogitare aliquid ex nobis quasi ex nobis; sed 
sufficientia nostra ex Deo est. ISTot that we 
are sufficient to think anything of our- 
selves, as of ourselves: but our sufficiency 
is from God/' (II Cor. in, 5.) "Nemo po- 
test dicer e, Dominus Jesus nisi in Spiritu 
Sancto. And no man can say, the Lord 
Jesus, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Cor. 
xii, 3.) How often do we not spend the 
time of meditation without doing anything, 
because we rely too much on ourselves, 
gttipe 6 



82 



because we neglect to invoke the IJoly 
Spirit, and do not continue to invoke him 
till he deigns to pray in us and by us. 

123. The Holy Spirit who dwells in us, 
comes to our assistance, i. by making us 
understand our misery clearly, as also our 
impossibility of quitting that state; 2. by 
uniting his strength to our weakness, his 
light to our ignorance, that we may know 
what is useful to us ; 3. by joining to our 
voice hisown voice, his own demand,shis nn- 
8^ei\kab\e gro^mngs: u Spi?itus adjuvat infir- 
mitatem nostram; nam quid ore?nus y sicut opor- 
tet, nescimus; sed ipse Spiritus postulat pro 
nobis gemitibus inenarrabilibus. The Spir- 
it also helpeth our infirmity; for, we know 
not what we should pray for as we ought : 
but the Spirit himself asketh for us with 
unspeakable groanings." (Horn, viii, 26.) 

Later on, we shall speak of the particu- 
lar motives we have to invoke the most 
blessed Virgin at the beginning of medi- 
tation. 

124. Then follows the act of faith in 
the presence and mission of our guardian 
angel. By God's will, he is our official 



83 



usher, lor it is his office to present our 
prayers to God. " Ascendit fumus incen- 
sorum de orationibus sanctorum de manu 
Angeli coram Deo: the smoke of the in- 
cense of the prayers of the saints ascended 
up before God, from the hand of the an- 
gel." (Apoc* viii, 4.) It is fitting to add 
analogous acts of faith and of invocation 
to the guardian angels of the sanctuary, 
if the meditation is made before the 
blessed Sacrament: to your holy Patrons, 
to the saints whose feast is celebrated, and 
especially to St. Joseph, who is, by excel- 
lence, the man of meditation. Could we 
ever extend too far our care of being well 
surrounded, when about to appear before 
the immortal King of angels and -saints? 
"St. Augustine relates that when he was 
still a Manichean. he one day entered a 
church, where St. Ambrose had the office 
chanted alternately in two choirs, as it is 
still done nowadays: at which he was so 
enraptured and beside himself in behold- 
ing the beautiful order and reverence pre- 
served thereat, that he thought himself in 
paradise- and many saints affirm that 



„S4~ 

they have often Been angels coming in 
great numbers to assist at the divine of- 
fices. With what attention and reverence 
ought we to assist at them, since the an- 
gels are there present and repeat on high, 
in the triumphant Church, what we are 
saying here below in the militant Church ! ,? 
(St. Francis of Sales.) 

125. The introduction, properly so- 
called, consists in an act of faith in the 
presence of God; it is the most important 
act of the immediate preparation. It is 
never to be omitted; for, by it, w r e place 
ourselves in the sight of God, which is the 
condition strictly required for succeeding 
in the interior acts. "Credere enim oportet 
accedentem ad Deum, quia est: for he that 
cometh to God, must believe that he is" 
(Hebr. xi, 6.), which implies his presence. 

126. I>o not imagine that this act is 
difficult, that it requires a kind of ecstasy 
which would transport you to the third 
heaven, or the vigorous effort of a power- 
ful imagination, because you would then 
have a ready excuse in saying that you 
are neither a St. Paul, nor the possessor of a 



— 85 — 

fertile imagination. It is simply required 
to fix, by an act of faith, the eye of your 
soul on God, just as, by an act of your will, 
you direct the eye of your body towards 
any object you wish to contemplate. You 
have neither to go out of yourself nor to 
create illusions in your mind by imagi- 
nary suppositions: remain in the reality. 
Is God then so far from each one of us? 
Is it not in him that we live, move, and 
are? u £n ipso enim vivimus, et movemur, et 
sumus." (Acts xvu, 28.) God is every- 
where; he is more intimately present to 
us, than our soul is to our body. 

127. Generally, we are not even aware 
of the presence of God in and amongst 
us; hence we do not think of it.- Thanks 
to our Lord Jesus Christ, this presence 
lias become so intimate, that it could not 
be more so. To give us an idea of it, our 
sacred Books have recourse to the most 
striking images - : Jesus Christ is our gar- 
ment; his grace and merits cover and 
transform us in such a manner as to com- 
municate his likeness to us and change us 
into him: Jesus Christ is the vine, and we 



86 



are the branches; we form but one with 
him, and from him we receive life, light, 
strength and activity; the entire Church, 
composed of angels and men, does not form 
a family only, but a mystical body, which 
is the very Body of our Lord. Jesus Christ 
is the chief or head of this body, we are 
its members, and these members are more 
closely united with their Chief than the 
members of our body with its head, for 
the supernatural life is more perfect than 
the natural. Jesus Christ himself declares 
it; he is and desires to be in us; he wish- 
es that we be in him, as he is in his Father. 
Find elsewhere a more intimate, more 
complete presence or penetration between 
two persons. 

128. Listen to St. Augustine applying 
this doctrine to prayer: "God cannot make 
a more magnificent present to men than 
by constituting as their Chief his Word, 
through whom he created everything, and 
by uniting them to this Chief as true 
members of the same body, so that the E- 
ternal Word is,at the same time, the Son of 
God and the Son of man. one God with 



— 87 — 

his Father, one man with men. In con- 
sequence, whenever we speak to God in 
prayer, it is not done without the Son ; 
when the body speaks, it is not without 
the Head : Ut et quando loquimur ad Deum 
deprecantes, non inde Filium separemus; et 
quando precatur corpus Filii, non a se sepa- 
ret caput suum. Thus the same Lord Je- 
sus Christ, Savior of his own Body, prays, 
at the same time, for us, in us, and we 
pray to him: Sitque ipse unus salvator cor- 
poris sui Dominus noster Jesus Christus Fi- 
lms Dei, qui et oret pro nobis, et oret in no- 
bis, et oretur a nobis. He prays for us as 
our High-priest, hepraysin us asourHead, 
we pray to him as to our God: Or at pro 
nobis, ut sacerdos noster; orat in nobis, nt 
caput nostrum; oratur a nobis, ut Beus nos- 
ter. Then let us not fail to recognize, at 
the same time, our voice in him. and his 
voice in us. Agnoscamus ergo et in illo vo- 
ces nostras, et voces ejus in nobis. As God. 
he receives our prayers: as servant, he 
prays himself: there he is Creator, here 
he is created, and, without changing him- 
self, he changes us into him, by making 



— 88 — 

of us with him, i. e. of the body with the 
Head, but one man. Oratur ergo in forma 
Dei, orat in forma servi; ibi Creator, hie 
creatus, creaturam mutandam non mutatus 
assumens,et secum nos faciens unum homi- 
nem, caput et corpus. Therefore we pray 
to him, we pray through him, and in him: 
the mental prayer, in which we are en- 
gaged, w r e make with him, and he with 
us; we make it in him and he in us. 0- 
ramus ergo ad ilium, per ilium, in illo: et 
dicimus cum illo, et dicit nobiscum; dicimus 
in illo, dicit in nobis orationem.'l (Instr. 
lxxxy. Psalm.) 

129. Bev. Father Olier loved to recall 
frequently to the minds of his disciples 
this same doctrine — viz., Our Savior's 
presence in our souls, in order to make 
with us all the acts of the supernatural 
life: "Our Lord bestows himself unto us, 
he embalms our souls, and tills them with 
the interior dispositions of his religious 
spirit, so that of our souls and his, he makes 
but one, which he animates with the same 
spirit of respect, love, praise, and sacrifice 
,Our Lord desires that, by the opera- 



89 



(ion of the Spirit, we should live in him a 
life truly one, as the Father and the Son 
live in each other, having but one life, 
one feeling, one desire, one love, as they 
are but one God living in two Divine 
Persons." 

130. Is there a prayer more excellent, 
more efficacious, more meritorious, in a 
word, more Christian, than the prayer of 
Jesus Christ, our Head, speaking for and 
through his members, or the prayers ot 
the members speaking through their 
Head? Is it not, in the highest degree, the 
prayer made in the name of the Lord? 
And does not the reproach addressed by 
the Divine Master to his Apostles, signi- 
fy, in its most elevated sense, that we do 
not think in our prayers of this union of 
the Head and members in the same bod- 
y? "Hitherto you have not asked any- 
thing in my name. Ask, and you shall 
receive; that your joy may be full. Us- 
que modo non petistis quidquam in nomine 
meo; petite et accipietis, ut gaudium vest- 
rum sit plenum ." (St. John xvi, 24.) 

131. What is wanting to us, is not the 



— 90— 

presence of God, but the attention to this 
presence. Direct your attention to this 
truth to contemplate it in its splendor 
and extent; see how much the intimate 
reality differs from the outward ap- 
pearance; make an act of faith in this 
fruitful reality; renew this act of faith by 
repeating the word Credo, and asking 
yourself: Have I had faith until this day? 
Do I believe at present? God is before me, 
he is within me? I am before God and in 
God ? All the rest is as if it did not exist? 
132. Remember some texts of our Sa- 
cred Books: "Numquid non ccelum et terrain 
ego impleo: do I not fill heaven and 
earth"? (Jerem. xxm, 24.) "' Medius vest- 
irum stetit quern vos nescitis: there hath 
stood one in the midst of you, whom you 
know not." (St. John i, 26.) "Si ascende- 
ro in ccelum, tu illic es; si descender o in in- 
fernumj ades: if I ascend into heaven, thou 
art tbei*e? if I descend into hell, thou art 
present." (Psalm cxxxvin, 8.) "Vivit 
Dominu-Sj in cujus conspectu sto: the Lord 
liveth, in whose sight I stand." (Ill 
Kings xvn, 1.) u Nescitls quia templum 



Ill 



Dei est is ) et Spiritus Dei habitat in vobisf 
Know you not that you are the temple of 
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth 
in yon?" (1 Cor. in, 16.) 

133. Love to repeat these and similar 
texts: add thereto these reflections :Do I 
believe this? Am I at present convinced 
of it? iw I do believe, Lord; help thou my un- 
belief. Credo, Domine, adjuva incredulita- 
tem meam." (Mark ix, 23.) If we had only 
a little faith, the presence of God would 
occupy our minds more vividly than all 
creatures united could do. God the Fa- 
ther, while contemplating Jesus Christ, 
let this cry of his heart escape him: "This 
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
pleased; hear ye him.'* And we could re- 
main insensible in the presence of him 
who fills the Heavenly Father with ad- 
miration ! And we could remain cold, in- 
different, when we are permitted to listen 
to him, to hear him speak! I ask you, 
where is our faith? 

134. The habit of walking in the holy 
presence of God, out of the time of medi- 
tation, and the act of faith in this presence, 



— 92— 

at the commencement of meditation, are 
the most efficacious means to establish us 
in pious communication with God. For 
every interview, there must at least be 
two: when it is question of the heavenly 
conversation called mental prayer, God is 
always ready; and all would go on won- 
drously well, if it could be added that we 
also are always ready. On account of the 
want of preparation, there are so few 
men of meditation: and what paralyzes 
our feeble efforts, even in the very prep- 
aration, is the lack of faith, the neglect 
of the acts of faith in the presence and 
other attributes of God. 

135. This act of faith in the presence 
of God is not made always in the same 
manner; it should even vary according to 
the state of your soul and the immediate 
object of the audience, but always with- 
out being obliged to resort to imagina- 
ry suppositions. God is our all, accord- 
ing to the expression of St. Francis of As- 
sisium and several other saints; therefore 
we can represent him to ourselves under 
a thousand different aspects, and thus you 



•):; 



possess the facility of varying almost in- 
definitely your act of faith in the presence 
of God. 

186. According to circumstances, you 
may consider yourself before God as a 
mere nothing, as a grain of sand in com- 
parison with the Supreme Being, the Cre- 
ator of heaven and earth; as a criminal 
before his Judge, a sinner before his God, 
a prisoner before his liberator, a slave be- 
fore his redeemer, a- sick man before his 
physician, a poor man before his benefac- 
tor, a friend before the best of friends, and 
so on, but above all, as a child before its 
father: such is the doctrine of the Divine 
Master and of the Holy Ghost. 

137. Whon the Apostles said to their 
divine Master: "Bomine, doce nos orare, 
Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke xi, 1.), it 
was not their intention to ask for a for- 
mula of prayer, but for the manner of 
praying and speaking to God. Our Lord 
in giving a formula of vocal prayer, point- 
ed out the mental dispositions he wishes 
to find in us. What, then, is this princi- 
pal disposition? It consists in having the 



— 94 — 

sentiments of a little child towards its 
father: " Ait ill is: Cum oralis, dicite: Paler. 

; and' he said to them: When you 

pray, say: Our Father " (Luke xi, 2.) 

Take notice, the intention of our Lord is 
positive: whenever he gives an instruc- 
tion on prayer, he wishes, that prayer be 
the request of a child to its father, or the 
familiar conversation of a child with its 
father: "Ora Patrem tuum in abscondito; 
pray to thy Father in secret. "(Matt, vi, 6.) 
'Scit Pater vester quid opus sit vobis, ante- 
qua m pet atis eum; for your Father know- 
eth what you stand in need of, before you 
ask him." (Matt, vi, 8.) -Pater tuns qui 
videt in abscondito, thy Father, who seeth 
in secret." (Matt. VI, 18.) "Scit enim Pa- 
ter vester, quia his omnibus indigetis, your 
Father knoweth that you have need of all 
these things." (Matt, vi, 32.) "Quanto ma- 
gis Pater vester qui in cadis est, dabit bona 
petentibus se ! How much more will 3^0111- 
Fath er, who is i n h ea ve n , gi ve good th i ngs 
to those that ask him! (Matt. VII, 11.) 

138. It is the Holy Spirit himself who 
produces these dispositions in us: "In quo 



—95 — 

clamamusr Abba, Pater; whereby we cry: 
Abba, (Father)." (Rom. vm, 15.) "Quo- 
niam autem estis filii, misit Dens Spiri- 
tum Filii sui in cordavestraclamdntem: Ab- 
ba, Pater: and because you are sons, God 
hath send the Spirit af his Son into your 
hearts, crying; Abba, Father." (Gal. iv, 6.) 
Behold in God your Creator, your Master, 
your Kins;, your Judge; be well convinced 
that you are unworthy of appearing be- 
fore him; remind him, nevertheless, that 
he is your Father, and tell him that you 
are his child, that you do not merit to 
bear this beautiful name, even not to be 
reckoned among his servants; but still con- 
clude, like the prodigal Son, saying in all 
the sincerity of your heart: i: Pater, pecca- 
vi. Father, I have sinned." Let that be, if 
you like, the invariable beginning of all 
your meditations. Guided by the Spirit 
of Jesus Christ, the Church addresses the 
same invitation to us, and I know of no 
better formula of introduction to medita- 
tion, than this prayer of the Sacred Lit- 
urgy: il Oremvs: Prceceptis salutaribus mo- 
viti. ct divina irtstitutione format L andemus 



1)1) 



dicere: Pater noster. Let us pray: Instruc- 
ted by thy saving precepts, and following 
thy divine institution, we presume to say: 
Our Father: 1 

139. After all this, what is mental 
prayer? It is the family duty, the duty of 
every day, which a well-bred child will 
never consent to neglect; it is the moment 
when the child comes to converse with its 
brothers and other members of the fami- 
ly, but especially with its father; it comes 
to render him its homage, to listen to his 
words, to promise him filial submission, to 
assure him of its devoted ness, to expose 
to him its necessities and fears, to discov- 
er its weaknesses to him, to await his 
counsels, and ask him for help and assis- 
tance. 

140. With this disposition, everything 
will succeed; without it, you will be 
checked at every step, for God requires 
humility and confidence on your part; he 
wishes that mental pra} T er be the conver- 
sation of the family, "familiare cum Deo 
colloquium" (St. Gregory Nazianzen); he 
wishes it to be the complete abandonment 



97 



of the child into its father's hands: "Qra- 
tio est qua cum Deo loquimur, qua Patrem 
eum dicimus, qua universa nostra desideria 
in conspectu majestatis ejus effundimus. 
Mental prayer is an exercise in which we 
converse with God, call him Father, and 
lay open all our desires before his majes- 
ty." (St. Augustine.) 

141. This affectionate, simple, frank, 
artless, unstudied confidence is insepar- 
able from every good meditation; because 
God, as our Father, is more sensitive to 
the confidence we place in him, than to all 
our other homages. "We are mistaken, if 
we imagine that to converse with God 
very confidentially and familiarly, is a 
want of respect towards his infinite maj- 
esty Not only is he not displeased 

thereat, but he loves to be treated with all 
that liberty and tender affection shown by' 
children towards their mothers." (St. 
Alphonsus de Liguori.) 

142. Besides, this confidence itself va- 
ries in its expressions^ according to the in- 
dividual character of every one: the seri- 
ous man speaks to him with a certain air 

GUIDE. 7 



98 



of gravity; the affectionate soul pours 
more unction into her words, the penitent 
soul intermingles with them sentiments 
of regret, the pure heart gazes more di- 
rectly upon God; all will speak freely to 
him, because he is our Father, and be- 
cause we all have, even with our many 
defects, the liberty of the children of God. 

143. The act of faith in the presence 
of God is of an inexhaustible fertility; to 
speak the truth, all the acts which form 
mental prayer, are founded on faith, have 
their principle in faith, and derive there- 
from all their force. "Faith," says Sua- 
rez, "introduces us to God, and whatever 
afterwards constitutes true meditation has 
its roots in faith." 

144. Those acts following naturally 
upon the act of faith in God's presence, 
and forming, as it were, but one with it, 
are the acts of faith in the various attri- 
butes of God, in his supreme majesty, his 
infinity, his sovereignty, his eternity, his 
wisdom, his goodness, his power, his ad- 
mirable providence, his justice, his sanc- 
tity, his mercy; then in his works, the 



— 99 — 

Creation, Redemption, Sanctification, etc.; 
and, lastly, in whatever he has done in 
particular for every one of us. 

145. These acts are transformed im- 
mediately and without effort on our part, 
but especially without effort of the head 
or imagination, into acts of admiration, 
humility, annihilation, respect, submis- 
sion, gratitude, contrition, fear, hope, con- 
fidence, invocation, love, oblation, sacri- 
fice, and holocaust of our* entire being. 
All these acts constitute the supreme act, 
the homage, reserved to God alone, and 
perpetually renewed by the saints, the act 
of adoration. 

146. "To sum up, all these acts re- 
volve about two truths: God is all, and I 
am nothing. To exercise our faith on these 
two truths, to listen to the inspirations of 
the Holy Spirit in their regard, consti- 
tutes all that is comprised in the exercise of 
the presence of God." (Father Chami- 
nade.) It is also the entire act of adora- 
tion; it is the annihilation, the oblation, 
the sacrifice of ourselves before the infi- 
nite majesty of God; it is the most com- 



— 100 — 

plete homage of which we are capable; it 
is, therefore, already meditation, and 
even perfect meditation. It is not aston- 
ishing that simple and sincere hearts, as 
well as generous and heroic souls, find de- 
light in these acts. 

147. The act of adoration, inspired 
and sustained by a vivid faith in the holy 
presence of God, may be indefinitely pro- 
longed, according as we spend more or 
less time on one or the other act, or on a 
great number of those complimentary 
acts which we have enumerated. Many 
devout and holy persons are content, in 
the exercise of meditation, with thus 
keeping themselves in the presence of God, 
and feel that they are under the direct 
regard of this sovereign Majesty, as if 
they were alone in the world with God. 
This is sufficient for them; and why 
should they seek God, when they have 
found him? Why should they look for a 
subject of conversation, when God, in his 
condescension, has taken the initiative, 
by addressing them first, and discovering 
his wonders to them? 



— 101" 

148. "In mental prayer, we draw nigh 
to God, and place ourselves in his pres- 
ence for two principal motives. The first 
is, that we may render unto God the 
homage and honor due to him, which 
does not require that we speak to him, 
nor that he speaks to us; this duty is ful- 
filled when we acknowledge that he is 
God and that we are vile creatures, and 
thus remain prostrate before him in spir- 
it, waiting for his orders. How many 
courtiers there are who go a hundred times 
into the presence of the king, not to 
speak to him, nor to hear him, but simply 
to be seen by him, and to testify by this 
assiduity that they are his servants! And 
this motive of presenting ourselves before 
God, solely to lay our will prostrate be- 
fore him and to testify unto him our ut- 
ter devotion to his service, is very excel- 
lent, very holy, and very pure, and is, 
consequently, of a very great perfection. 

149. "Our second motive in appearing 
before God, is that we may speak with 
him, and hear him speak unto us by his 
inspirations and interior movements: this 



102 



is Ordinarily accompanied with a most de- 
licious pleasure, because it is a great good to 
us to speak to so great a Lord: and when 
he answers, he diffuses a thousand balms 
and precious ointments, which impart a 
great sweetness to our love for him. 

150. "Now, he remarks, one of these 
two goods can never fail us in mental 
prayer. If we can speak to our Lord, let 
us do so; let us praise him, beseech him, 
listen to him; if we can not speak to him, 
because we are hoarse, let us, nevertheless, 
abide in his apartment, and do him rever- 
ence: he will seeusthere; he will kindlyac- 
cept our patience, and favorably look up- 
on our silence; at another time, we shall be 
all amazed when he will take us by the 
hand, and converse with us, and make a 
hundred turns with us in the garden of 
his meditation; and if he should never do 
this, let us be content that it is our duty 
to belong to his suite, that it is still a great 
grace and too high an honor, if he suffer 
us in his presence. 

151. "Thus we shall not be too eager to 
speak to him, since the second manner of 



— 103 — 

being with him will not be any the less 
useful to us, but rather far more so, though 
perhaps not so agreeable to our taste. 
When therefore you appear before our 
Lord, speak to him, if you can; if you can- 
not, abide there, make him see you, and 
be not anxious about other matters." 
(St. Francis of Sales.) 

152. "In the palaces of kings and prin- 
ces," continues St. Francis of Sales, "there 
are statues which serve only to gratify the 
eyes of the king; be content to serve a simi- 
lar purpose in God's presence; he will ani- 
mate this statue when it shall please him. 
If a statue, which has been placed in a 
niche or in the midst of a hall, hadthepow- 
er of speech, and were asked the question : 
Why art thou here?-Because, it would re- 
ply, the statuary, my master, has placed 
me here. — Wherefore dost thou not 
move? — Because he wills that I should 
remain immoveable. — Of what use art 
thou there? What advantage dost thou 
derive from being thus stationary? — It 
is not for my own service that I am here; 
it is to serve mv master and fulfill his 



— 104 — 

commands. — But thou dost not see him?— 
No, the statue would reply, but he sees me, 
and takes pleasure in knowing that I am 
where he has placed me. — But would st 
thou be glad to have the power of moving, 
in order to go near him? — Not unless he 
commanded me to do so. — Desirest thou 
then nothing? — No, for 1 am where my 
master has placed me, and his good pleas- 
ure is the only contentment of my being. 
Oh, God! it is indeed a good meditation, 
that of keeping one's self in his will and 
in his good pleasure. It is my opinion 
that St. Mary Magdalen was a statue in a 
niche, when seated at the feet of our Lord, 
without saying a word, without moving, 
and, perhaps, without looking at him, she 
listened to what he said: when he spoke, 
she listened; when he ceased to speak, she 
ceased to listen, and nevertheless she was 
always there. A little infant on the bo- 
som of its sleeping mother, is truly in a 
desirable place, though the mother says 
not a word to it, nor the child to its moth- 



er." 



153. When St. Mary Magdalen, in the 



— 105 — 

Pharisee's house, washed the feet of Jesus 
with her tears, she said nothing, she did 
but weep over her sins, and love; and our 
Lord said to her: " Bemittuntar ei peccata 
multa, quoniam dilexit multum. Many sins 
are forgiven her, because she hath loved 
much." (Luke vii, 47.) And Mary, at the 
foot of the Cross, did not utter a word, and 
yet it was especially in this moment that she 
cooperated in the work of our redemption. 
They are blessed, O my God, let us say 
with the Holy Ghost, they are blessed, 
thy servants who stand before thee always 
and hear thy wisdom. "Beati viri tui et 
beati servi tui, qui stant coram te semper, et 
audiunt sapientiam tuam." (Ill Kings x, 8.) 
To remain in the presence of God with a 
docile and attentive heart, to contemplate 
him with admiration, to be inebriated 
with his joys, is not this the life and hap- 
piness of the angels? It is also the por- 
tion of the pious soul during meditation. 
The only difference is that the contem- 
plation, or direct vision, is temporarily 
substituted in us by the indirect vision of 
faith ; but it must be observed that this 



— 106 — 

vision become clearer in proportion as 
our faith increases in vivacity. 

154. Do not fear therefore to stop at 
the threshold the moment you come in 
the sight of God ; remain there as long as 
faith keeps your attention fixed, and grace 
attracts your heart that it may find in 
God a substantial nourishment and the 
source of the sweetest consolations." Dom- 
inus vobiscum" is the customary saluta- 
tion of God's minister; "Deus enim erat 
cumillo, God was with him," is the ordi- 
nary eulogium of the Holy Ghost when 
speaking of the patriarchs; "Dominus te- 
cum" is the reason why Mary, according 
to the testimony of the Archangel Gabriel, 
is full of grace and blessed amongst wom- 
en; finally the happiness of the saints 
consists in their being with God. You see 
that there is nothing more to be desired 
when we are with God and God is with 
us. Be with God in meditation, and he 
will be with you in your actions. 

155. "Sursurn corda!" is the word 
which your guardian angel will address 
to you when you are about leaving this 



107 



visible world to enter into meditation. 
"Habemus ad Dominum!" you reply in un- 
ion with your brothers. il Gratias agamus 
Domino Deo nostro" again continues your 
guardian angel. u Dignum et justum est. 11 
And after this response, you continue 
with one voice: u Vere dignum et justum 
est ', cequum et salutare, nos tibi semper et 
ubique gratias agere, Domine sancte, Pater 

omnipotens, ceterne Deus " Unite with 

the angelic choirs: the Dominations, the 
Powers, the Thrones and Virtues of Heav- 
ens, the Cherubs and Seraphs, and solic- 
it permission to join your voice with 
theirs while saying over and again: u San- 
ctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sa- 

baoth " Can you do any thing better 

than imitating the angels? But, above all, 
let faith show God to you with the same 
certainty, if not with the same clearness, 
as the Angels behold him. He is with 
you, he is within you, he is not secluded 
within the profoundest heavens. Speak 
to him also by direct address; meditation 
will become a tete-a-tete, or rather an ad- 
dress to the heart, whenever you preserve 



— 108 — 

a lively faith in the presence of .God; noth- 
ing is better able to keep up a respectful 
attention, to favor pious aspirations, and 
to stir up the noblest impulses of the soul. 

156. Be not troubled if these prelimi- 
nary acts are sometimes prolonged until 
the moment of the conclusion; you will 
have made an excellent meditation,accord- 
ing to the testimony of St. Francis of 
Sales; it is called by Rev. Father Chami- 
nade the prayer of faith and of the presence 
of God. 

157. If meditation is made before the 
Most Holy Sacrament, the act of faith in 
the presence of God and the complemen- 
tary acts may be directly addressed to the 
Sacred Person of our Lord. This circum- 
stance singularly contributes to render 
these acts more vivid and even easy by 
striking our mind more forcibly and mov- 
ing our heart more deeply; it is then that 
remembering the words of the preface of 
the Mass, we add: Per Christum Dominum 
nostrum; then we dwell on the goodness 
our Lord has shown us in the holy Eu- 
charist, on the mystery we celebrate on 



109 



that day. or in that period of the year. 

158. Let us conclude with the words 
of St. Francis of Sales: "Being in medita- 
tion, Philothea, if you feel your heart at- 
tached to the simple presence of God, you 
will not go farther, but pause at thispres- 
ence; though jou. be there, you will gejit- 
ly meditate on the subject you have pre- 
pared ; the secret of secrets in medita^ 

tion is to follow the attractions with a 
simple heart. 

159. This remark of St. Francis of Sales 
is of the highest importance; it ought to 
forewarn us against every false or danger- 
ous interpretation of what he has said on 
the prayer of the presence of God. Medi- 
tation is not, under whatever form it may 
be made, in any case, a special form of in- 
dolence or a disguised idleness; consisting 
essentially of an act or a series of interior 
acts, it always requires that the soul be 
acting. Even should she be called to per- 
form the office of a statue, according to 
the picturesque expression of St. Francis 
of Sales, you would grossly deceive your- 
self, were vou to aNow vour soul to re- 



— 110- 
main inactive, in a state of supineness, do- 
ing nothing, attempting nothing, thinking 
of nothing. Be statue-like by your docility 
in allowing God to act freely, in following 
the attractions of grace; but to follow the 
attractions of grace, is to do something: it 
is, at least, adds St. Francis of Sales, try- 
ing to meditate calmly on the point or sub- 
ject of meditation. 

160. If you wish to be preserved from 
every dangerous illusion, examine the 
fruits of y our meditation. Have you, after 
it, a great zeal for virtue, horror for 
sin, charity for your neighbor, hatred for 
yourself and your defects? Do you en- 
deavor to practice humility, obedience, 
abnegation, courage and patience in diffi- 
culties and in your daily crosses? .Rest as- 
sured, your meditation is excellent: doj'ou 
not recognize the tree by its fruits? 

161. Ah to the exterior bearing and at- 
titude of the body, he who takes part in 
a public prayer, must conform to the li- 
turgical prescriptions by remaining either 
kneeling, sitting, or standing, he who 
pra\s in private, is guided by reverence 



— Ill — 

towards God and by the sentiments of his 
heart ; he will not neglect the exterior 
means which can aid him in a better ac- 
quittal of this pious duty. According to 
circumstances, he is kneeling, standing, 
sitting, or walking, in the oratory or 
in the open air, joining his hainds, ex- 
tending the arms, bowing the head, or 
raising the eyes towards heaven; lastly, 
he will either observe a profound silence, 
or his lips will give utterance to the a- 
bundance of his heart by repeated invo- 
cations. He who forms part of a com- 
munity does not enjoy the same liberty; 
he must conform to the established cus- 
toms; the prescriptions of the rule point 
out to him the will of God, even in details 
which are purely material and exterior; 
thus all is done with order, uniformity, 
modesty, respect, and simplicity, without 
constraint, affectation, and singularity. 

162. The exterior bearing must not be 
looked upon as indifferent, since we pray 
by our attitude as well as by our entire 
person ; it must even be observed that the 
attitude of the^body greatly influences the 



— 112 — 

sentiments of the soul: "Those," sa} T s St. 
Augustine, "who, in prayer, bend the 
knee, extend their arms, prostrate them- 
selves, or manifest some other exterior 
sign of devotion, do what is proper to 
supplicants. God undoubtedly knows the 
interior and invisible desires of their 
heart, and stands not in need of these sen- 
sible signs to behold what is going on in 
the soul; but through these signs man is 
animated to pray with greater humility 
and fervor: and just as these movements 
of the body could not be produced unless 
preceded by the sentiments of the soul, so 
likewise, I know not how, the interior and 
invisible sentiment of the soul is found 
to increase by the exterior movements of 
the body." 

163. Let us hear St. Francis of Sales 
insist on this point: "We must be very 
respectful while addressing the divine Maj- 
esty, since the angels, though so pure, 
tremble in his presence. But, you will say, 
we cannot have in our meditations this 
feeling of his presence, which causes such 
a profound humiliation of all the faculties 



113 



of the soul, nor that sensible reverence 
which keeps us low and humble before 
God, in the knowledge of our littleness and 
and unworthiness. For that very reason 
I do not mean to speak of this feeling, 
which is not necessary ; it suffices to have 
this reverence in the will and the superior 
part of our soul which should know the 
sovereign dignity of him whom it loves 
and adores. In our private meditations 
and prayers, we must always preserve a 
great respect, since we are in the presence 
of God, though at the common offices we 
ought to give it special attention, on ac- 
count of the edification due to our neigh- 
bor; besides it is certain that exterior rev- 
erence is of great assistance to the inte- 
rior. At all events that posture is the 
best which brings with it the greatest at- 
tention: yes, even that of lying prostrate 
is good, and seems to pray of itself; do you 
not behold the hoi} 7 man Job, lying on a 
dunghill, saying a prayer so excellent, 
that it merited to be heard by God? 

164. < k The soul, prostrate before God, 
easily draws the body along with her; she 

GUIDE. 8 



— 114 — 

raises the eyes, or the heart and hands to 
whence she expects help. Do we not see 
this variety of affections in the counte- 
nance of the publican? To say the truth, 
the essence of prayer lies in the soul; bat 
the voice, actions, and other exterior signs 
by which it expresses what is within, are 
noble appurtenances and very useful qual- 
ities of meditation. They are its effects 
and operations: the soul is not content 
with praying, if the whole man does not 
pray at the same time; she obliges the 
eyes, hands, and knees to pray with her. 
To pray in spirit and truth, is so far from 
praying without ceremonies, that, on the 
contrary, it is scarcely possible to pray in 
spirit and truth without any actions and 
exterior gestures in accordance with the 
interior affections. A soul that is moved, 
is moved throughout: in the tongue, eyes, 
and hands. To pray in spirit and truth, 
is to pray with the heart and with affec- 
tion, without pretence or hyprocrisy, em- 
ploying, besides, thereto the entire man, 
body and soul, in order that what God has 
joined, may not be separated." 



115 



165. Let us conclude with a consider- 
ation still more elevated, likewise taken 
from St. Francis of Sales: "Our Lord him- 
self as man does not abstain from abas- 
ing himself profoundly in presence of his 
Father, by addressing him with extreme 
reverence, with such acts of profound 
humility, as never a creature could or was 
able to do." 




CHAPTER YLL 



In what the principal part, called 
"body of meditation" consists, and 
how the subject of meditation is 
naturally divided into several 

POINTS. 

♦ ♦ 



166. The body of the meditation is the 
intercourse of the soul with God, properly 
so-called. The subject of this intercourse is 
precise, and its end is definite, as we have 
previously remarked. If the subject is 
read to the community, we should listen 
with attention ; if we meditate privately, 
we may read it in parts and at intervals; 
when the subject is sufficiently known, it 
suffices to recall it to mind summarily. 

167. After the immediate preparation, 
our first act should be to recall to mind 
the object as well as the end of the audi- 
ence. Recalling to mind the object is 
termed by some authors first prelude, and 



— 117 — 

that of the end or fruit we have in view, 
second prelude. 

167. The object is either a truth, a 
fact, or a mixed subject. We do not speak 
of virtue, because it is a truth put in prac- 
tice, and whatever will be said of the con- 
siderations on a truth, may be applied to 
considerations on a virtue. The truth is 
furnished or at least confirmed by the 
teachings of faith; we should never fail to 
look for the practical consequences which 
flow therefrom and find their application 
in our life. The fact is ordinarily taken 
from the life of our Lord, of the Blessed 
Virgin, and of the saints, from Church his- 
tory, or even from profane history and 
the ordinary life, but it is always consid- 
ered in the light of faith and in the appli- 
cation to our moral conduct. 

169. In the following explanations it 
is generally understood that the subject 
of meditation is a truth; later on we shall 
see that the same rules are applicable 
when the subject is a fact or a mixed sub- 
ject. To understand our counsels and in- 
dications more easily, we invite you to 



— 118 — 

niake an immediate application of them 
on a determined subject; you may choose, 
for instance, prayer, or any virtue what- 
ever: obedience, humility; or one of the 
four last things of man, a great truth of 
our religion: death, sin ; or filial piety to- 
wards Mary, love for our Lord, his Pas- 
sion, etc. 

170. The subject of the intercourse 
having been recalled to mind as we have 
just said, the soul keeps her attention fixed 
thereto, and concentrates her faculties, 
in order to see it in its true light, i. e. in 
the ensemble and the details, by the si- 
multaneous light of reason and faith. But 
the power of the mind is limited; when it 
embraces a vast horizon or a complicated 
subject, all is vague, obscure, and confused; 
things become more clear as the forces of 
our mind are concentrated on a more re- 
stricted point, and as we pass successively 
from one point to another; for a truth is 
generally an ensemble of truths; a fact, an 
ensemble of facts; a picture, a complete 
scenery. For this reason, the division in- 
to several points is generally necessitated. 



119 



171. Thus in meditation, as well as in 
every application of the soul to any object 
whatever, you naturally divide this ob- 
ject into several parts in order to observe 
them one after the other. Books on med- 
itation ordinarily give the subject as di- 
vided into two or three points; but you 
must not regard yourself as confined to 
these divisions; their object is to aid you, 
and not to deprive you of your liberty to 
adopt others that mightpresent themselves 
to your mind, whether you consider the 
subject successively under different as- 
pects, or decompose it by analysis, or 
simply pass from one idea to another, by 
following the terms of each proposition. 
But, I repeat, never torment yourself on 
account of these divisions. By what is 
still to be said on the different parts of med- 
itation, you will thoroughly understand 
how easy it is to divide every subject into 
several points. 

172. While considering the subject, or 
one of its special points, endeavor, at first, 
to know it summarily; afterwards consid- 
er successively the essential elements, ac- 



— 120 — 

cessory parts, excellence, advantages, and 
duties it imposes, the difficulties it presents, 
the means at your disposal, and its appli- 
cation to what concerns you personally. 

173. According to the nature of the 
object which the soul has chosen, and the 
end she proposes to herself, she applies her 
faculties to this object differently and de- 
votes herself to distinct operations. If, 
for instance, it be question of filial confi- 
dence to the Blessed Virgin, the soul may 
endeavor first to discover the motives 
thereof, count and weigh them; then 
recall to mind memorable examples, re- 
maining in admiration at the view of 
these proofs of the power and goodness 
of Mary; lastly, we may purpose to 
preserve constantly this unshaken con- 
fidence, which has never deceived any 
one, and set about at once, i. e. during the 
meditation, to make fervent invocations. 

174. While observing the numerous 
operations of the soul, it has been found 
that all can be classified in three orders or 
categories: some are referred to the mind 
and other intellectual faculties; others to 



— 121 — 

the heart, to the affective faculties or sen- 
sibility; and the third to the will. Hence 
there are three faculties or chief powers 
of the soul, intelligence, sensibility, and will, 
wherein all other faculties are comprised. 
Thus memory, judgment, imagination, 
are intellectual faculties; love and hatred, 
attraction and aversion, derive from sen- 
sibility, and are attributed to the heart; 
finally deliberate desires, resolutions, firm 
purposes derive from the will. When we 
say that the soul acts, works, we mean to 
say that she applies her three faculties, or, 
at least, one of them to an object she has 
in view. 

175. Meditation is an operation of so 
elevated an order that the soul finds ap- 
plication therein for all her faculties. 
Besides does not God merit that we be en- 
tirely his, when he puts himself at our 
disposition? All the faculties of the soul 
are therefore brought into action; the" un- 
derstanding observes, seeks, investigates, 
discovers; the memory displays whatever 
refers to the subject, whatever has been 
previously discovered by the intelligence; 



— 122 — 

the imagination pictures things as pres- 
ent; reason even shows us what is be- 
yond the direct vision of the soul; the 
heart is affected, moved, shaken, and thus 
acting on the soul draws it along; finally, 
solicited by the mind and heart, the will 
takes delight in these operations, and 
transforms the conclusions which have 
been submitted to it, into resolutions. 

176. Thus meditation consists of acts 
which bear relation to the three principal 
faculties; it is customary to call the acts 
of the intellectual faculties considerations ; 
what is attributed to the sensibility and 
heart, affections; and what belongs to the 
immediate domain of the will, resolu- 
tions. Meditation, according to Rev. Fa- 
ther Olier, consists in the threefold exer- 
cise of beholding Jesus, of uniting and of 
working with him. We behold him in 
the considerations, we unite with him by 
our affections, and finally w T e operate with 
him by the accomplishment of the resolu- 
tions. 

177. The considerations, affections, and 
resolutions follow in the order in which 



— 123 — 

we have enumerated them, but not ex- 
clusively; they are closely connected one 
with the other, intermingle with one an- 
other, mutually aid and succeed one an- 
other, and return during the exercise of 
meditation. You will easily understand 
that it ought to be so, when we shall have 
explained what you must do and observe 
in the different parts of the body of medi- 
tation. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

HOW TO MAKE THE "CONSIDERATIONS," 
AND IN WHAT THE "PRAYER OE MEDI- 
TATION" CONSISTS. 



178. The introduction to mental pray- 
er, such as w T e have explained it, is about 
to be embodied with meditation itself; we 
have therefore called it the prayer of faith 
and presence of God; it is a prayer in 
which the acts of faith in the presence 
and other attributes of God predominate. 
We are now approaching the subject of 
mental prayer, and commence to study 
this subject in the light of faith and rea- 
son, and in the presence of God. When 
this study, such as we are going to ex- 
plain it, occupies the principal place in 
the exercise, we have what is called the 
prayer of meditation; it is sometimes des- 
ignated by the simple name of meditation. 



125 



179. In meditation, we ought especial- 
ly to study the truths in the light of faith, 
i. e. consider them such as faith shows 
them to us, and give them our adherence 
in order to make them the rule of our 
thoughts, judgments, appreciations, and 
determinations. "As the tincture is grad- 
ually imbibed by the linen," says Fene- 
lon, "so should we, for a long time, be 
penetrated with the truths of the Gospel; 
they must become familiar to us, that by 
force of beholding them close to us and at 
every instant, we may accustom ourselves 
to judge everything only by them; that 
they may be our only light in practice, as 
the rays of the sun are our only light for 
perceiving the figure and color of bodies. 

180. In meditation, we should especial- 
ly interrogate faith, because faith alone 
can instruct us about the things which it 
imports us to know well, and because the 
light of faith acts at once on our intelli- 
gence, heart, and will. Like the sun's 
rays which not only illuminate, but also 
fertilize nature, so the light of faith 
spreads with vivid brightness in our 



— 126 — 

minds; at the same time, it vivifies the 
heart and moves the will towards truth 
and good, th.us making every virtue ger- 
minate and grow. Keason alftne, like the 
feeble glimmering of a lamp, could not 
produce the same effects. 

181. We should not, however, neglect 
the light of reason, because it is likewise 
a gift which God bestowed upon us as a 
light in our duties. Our intellectual fac- 
ulties serve us, in meditation, to consult 
our memory, establish comparisons, draw 
conclusions, multiply investigations and 
reflections, etc.; reason and faith mutually 
assist each other. 

182. The meditation of the subject is 
always useful, often necessary, especially 
when the subject is one of the great truths 
of our holy religion : as, the end of man, 
eternity, sin, death, judgment, hell, heav- 
en, etc. "The eternal truths," says St. Al- 
phonsus de Liguori, "are things altogether 
spiritual, which cannot be conceived with 
the corporal eyes, but with the eyes of the 
spirit only, i. e. by thought and reflection. 
Those persons that do not practice men- 



— 127— 

tal prayer, do not therefore see into these 
truths; this is why they have no idea of 
the importance of salvation nor of the 
means they must take to arrive thereat. 
Thus the loss of so many souls proceeds 
from their neglecting to consider the im- 
portance of the great affair of eternity, 
and what they must do to save themselves. 
< 'Desolatione desolata est oinnis terra, quia 
nullus est qui recogitet corde; with desola- 
tion is all the land made desolate, be- 
cause there is none that considereth in 
in his heart." (Jer. xn, 11.) The Lord as- 
sures, on the contrary, that he will never 
fall into sin, who directs the eyes of his, 
soul towards the truths of faith; as, death, 
judgment, a happy or an unhappy eter- 
nity which awaits us: " Memorare novissi- 
ma tua et in ceternum non peccabis." (Eccl. 
vii, 40.) 

183. Why does man live in such utter 
carelessness, especially in what concerns 
his soul and those serious questions about 
his origin, his end, his true dignity and 
happiness? Why does he remain in igno- 
rance about himself? It is onlv because 



128 



he does not deign to stop at the consider- 
ation or at the study of these questions. 

184. Why is God valued so little in 
the thoughts of individuals, of nations, 
and of those that govern? He is all, 
and is considered as nothing; he is, despite 
of our forgetfulness of his rights, the Mas- 
ter, who has the first and last word everv- 
where; why do we not see it? It is our 
want of reflection that produces this blind- 
ness. 

185. Why do most Christians make so 
little account of their dignity as children 
of God, as brothers and co-heirs of Jesus 
Christ, as temples of the Holy Spirit, as 
sanctuaries of the adorable Trinity ? Be- 
cause they have never sounded these rav- 
ishing mysteries by meditation, and be- 
cause these words are for them void of 
meaning; behold why that which is most 
honorable is least sought for and es- 
teemed. 

186. Why is Jesus Christ himself, the 
incarnate Wisdom, our only and true Mas- 
ter, our light, our guide, and universal 
hope, so little known, loved, heard, and 



—.129 — 

consulted? "Why are the hoty Eucharist 
and the Sacrifice of the Mass so despised 
in the world, and often so neglected even 
in religious communities? The answer is 
always the same: "quia nullus est qui re- 
cogitet cordeT Because no one thinks, re- 
flects on these wonders. 

187. Why is the Gospel read and stud- 
ied less than so many profane books by 
the majority of Christians? Why is it cit- 
ed and consulted by them so rarely for 
the guidance of their life? "quia nullus est 
qui recogitet cordel" They have no idea of 
the treasures contained in this book of 
life. 

188. Why do men not fear sin, judg- 
ment, and hell? quia nullus est quia reco- 
gitet cordeT Why are they obstinate in 
following the maxims of the world, since 
their falsehood has been proved since thou- 
sands of years? For the experience of cent- 
uries confirms this assertion of St. James; 
"Non est ista sapientia, desursum decendens; 
sed terrena, animalis, diabolica; for this 
is not wisdom, descending from above; but 
earthly, sensual, diabolical. 1 ' (James, in ) 

GUIDE. 9 



— 180 — 

189. In a word, why are men, even 
Christians, in their ordinary conduct, so 
lightminded, so thoughtless, so unreason- 
able, so inconsequent, so foolish, so absurd, 
as to make one shudder? Why do they al- 
low themselves to be guided in their con- 
duct by prejudices and current opinions^ 
by the wind that blows, by the allurements 
of blind passions and by human respect? 
Why do they so often show themselves 
neither men nor Christians? "quia nullus 
qui recogitet cordeT They consult neither 
reason which constitutes us men, nor faith 
which makes us Christians. They do not 
meditate, for in meditation we make use 
of these two lights, faith and reason, in 
meditation we discover truth, dispel illu- 
sions, and escape from error. 

190. Would to God that this light may 
not shine too late for us, and that we 
be not obliged, on entering into eterni- 
ty, to utter this cry of despair, a ter- 
rible homage to the wisdom of the 
saints: "Ergo erravimus! we have then 
erred!" We pitied those who, each day, 
devoted an hour to meditation, and now 



131 



do we see them among the number of the 
children of God, whereas we became wea- 
ried on the ways of error and iniquity. 

191. One single truth constantly med- 
itated upon would suffice to make us wise 
and lead us to our end: a proof thereof is 
St. Francis Xavier, who made as his own 
the following maxim: "What doth it prof- 
it a man if he gain the whole world and 
suffer the loss of his own soul?" A proof of it 
is likewise St. Aloysius of Gonzaga, who 
often asked himself this question: "Quid 
hoc ad wternitatem? Of what use will this 
be to me for my eternity?" 

192.. St. Augustine asks how we can 
avoid this abyss which engulfs mankind: 
"Woe to thee, O torrent of custom among 
men! Who will stop thy impetuous drift? 
When wilt thou be dried up? How long 
yet shalt thou draw the unhappy children 
of Eve into this immense and formidable 
ocean? Voe tibi, flumen moris humani! 
Quis resistet tibi? Quandiu non siccaberis? 
Quousque volves Ev<b filios in mare magnum 
et formidolosumP' (Conf. i, 16.) St. Au- 
gustine answers by his example and teach- 



— 132 — 

ings: it is only the meditation of the great 
truths that can constitute our fulcrum and 
force in the victorious struggle against 
this torrent. 

193. In fine, we repeat: without med- 
itation we can be neither men nor Chris- 
tians; with the persevering practice of 
meditation we shall infallibly come to 
conduct ourselves as men and Christians. 

194. We have nothing else to add for 
recommending to you the daily practice 
of meditation properly so-called, and to 
give you an esteem for this part of men- 
tal prayer which we have called the con- 
siderations. But you will say, it is not ea- 
sy, and not given to every one to make 
considerations. 

195. Drive from your mind as a temp- 
tation of the spirit of lies the thought that 
you cannot make considerations on account 
of your levity and inconstancy, the want 
of your mental or intellectual formation. 
The least cultivated mind can do what God 
asks of us in meditation. And really, St. 
Francis of Paula, St. Francis of Assisium, 
St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Teresa of Jesus, 



133 



St. Eose of Lima, St. Mary Magdalen of 
Pazzi, and a host of others have arrived at 
the most sublime degrees of meditation 
without ever having studied human sci- 
ences. 

196. Eemember especially the example 
of St. Felix of Cantalicio, who died in 1597. 
This saint passed the first twenty-eight 
years of his life in directing the plough 
and keeping flocks; he afterwards joined 
the Order of Capuchins, in which he filled 
the office of questant for forty years, go- 
ing, during the greater part of each day, 
from house to house, through the streets 
of .Rome. For all his instruction, he had 
learned the principal mysteries of our ho- 
ly religion, and knew by heart the Pater, 
Ave, Credo, and Gloria Patri. By saying 
these prayers and reflecting on what he 
had been taught about our holy myster- 
ies, he elevated himself by and by to a 
habit of meditation, and to a sublime con- 
templation. Soon he found, in all he saw 
and heard, occasions of knowing God bet- 
ter, of admiring and loving him the more; 
the view of nature had become for him an 



134 



excellent book of meditation. But as be 
progressed, the Passion of our Savior be- 
came his favorite book, and he never de- 
sisted from reading this book and medita- 
ting on its contents. Thus, some vocal 
prayers which he knew by heart, the 
things which he saw and heard, the 
mysteries of religion, and especially the 
Passion of Jesus Christ: these were the 
only sources whence St. Felix of Cantali- 
cio drew that spirit of meditation, which 
permitted him to practice this exercise in 
an easy, continual, and sublime manner, 
like the angels in heaven. Can you not 
draw from the same sources? Besides, do 
your daily imperfections, your numerous 
sins, not furnish an ample field of 
matter for the best considerations, that 
thus you may, at any rate, succeed in a- 
voiding those faults in the future, and in 
repairing them by penance? Who is the 
man that has not sufficient intelligence to 
make this kind of considerations? 

197. We are right therefore to repeat 
with Suarez: "Nullus est tarn ineptus qui 
non possit ad hoc facile instrui et induci si 



135 



velit; no one is so devoid of intelligence, 
that he can not easily learn to make med- 
itation, if he only desired it earnestly." 
Therefore be at ease; know that no more 
is asked of you in this part of mental 
prayer, than what you are doing daily in 
your studies, in your readings, in your 
mental labors, and even in your conver- 
sations with one another. Begin to think 
about what you are going to speak or to 
meditate on before God, just as you are 
obliged to think about what you are go- 
ing to say in your conversations, and 
what you are going to do during your 
studies. 

198. Consider, first of all, with the eyes 
of your mind and in the light of faith, the 
proposed truth or fact ; endeavor to grasp 
its bearing, to be penetrated with it by 
reflecting on the meaning of the words 
which express the subject, distinguish 
this truth from every other truth, try to 
sound its depths, to seize its import, to 
imprint it on your memory, and above all 
make frequent acts saying: Credo, I be- 
lieve, it is so. You can already catch a 



— 136 — 

glimpse of what is beautiful, good, useful, 
and practical in this truth. 

199. If your mind is unable to go far- 
ther, this suffices; we will presently indi- 
cate, how, in such a case, you can pass 
immediately to the affections and resolu- 
tions. Ordinarily, however, you will feel 
yourself able to push on further, and to 
multiply the considerations on this same 
point. By reflecting, by consulting your 
memory, by establishing comparisons, and 
deducing consequences, you will see the 
subject in a more brilliant light; accord- 
ing to circumstances, you will grasp its 
full reality, its extent,sublimity, excellence, 
beauty, advantages, necessity, divers ap- 
plications, and above all, its immediate 
and personal application. 

200. Study this truth in the life of our 
Lord, who is the model of all sanctity; in 
the life of the most blessed Virgin and 
the saints, who are the most faithful cop- 
ies of this divine model. Then address 
the following question to yourself: What 
have our Lord, the most blessed Virgin, 
the saints, and especially such a saint, 



— 137 — 

thought of this truth? How have they 
practiced it? What difference exists be- 
tween their conduct and mine, regarding 
this truth? What have I yet to do in or- 
der to resemble them? 

201. Lay special stress on the motives, 
which should induce you to practice the 
truth or maxim on which you meditate. 
The deeper you are penetrated with these 
motives, the more your will is prompted 
to take energetic resolutions. It will then 
be useful to ask yourself the following 
questions: What do our Lord and the 
most blessed Virgin ask of me? Should I 
have the sad courage to refuse it to them? 
What advantages shall I find in the prac- 
tice of this virtue? What have I lost until 
now in default of this practice? What will 
befall me if I am unfaithful to it? What 
shall I wish to have done at the end ot 
my life? Is it not necessary to do now 
what I then should wish to have done? 
The replies to these questions will suggest 
salutary reflections to your mind. 

202. Above all, I recommend to you 
not to theorize without application. As 



— 138 — 

to the considerations, questions, and an- 
swers, do not fail, in all of them, to lookfor 
the relations of these truths to yourself, to 
your convictions, to the principles of your 
conduct, to the actions of your life, in a 
word, to your present dispositions. What 
are your actual dispositions concerning 
this truth? Are you really convinced of 
it? Do you love it, or do you feel any re- 
pugnance in regard to it? Are you firmly 
resolved to make it the rule of your judg- 
ments, of your appreciations, of your con- 
duct, and this, despite the repugnance of 
nature? 

203. Transport yourself into the past 
in order to observe the better the opposi- 
tion in your conduct to the teachings of 
faith and even of reason itself. Only ask 
yourself: what hidden things, what faults 
unnoticed at the moment, will be mani- 
fested to you by the light of meditation, 
which is a communication of God's light! 
"Ab occultis mets munda me Domine, you 
will say, et ab alienis parce servo tuo. From 
my secret sins cleanse me, O Lord: and 
from those of others spare thy serv- 



139 



ant." (Ps. xviii, 13, 14.) 

204. Foresee the future, and ask your- 
self what you will have to do, that the 
truth on which you meditate may become 
the rule of your judgments, appreciations, 
and conduct? What repugnance will you 
have to overcome? What occasions to a- 
void? What faults to struggle against? On 
what occasions shall you put this truth 
into practice? What means will you take 
to conform yourself to it? It is not neces- 
sary, nor always possible, to ask yoursell 
all these questions during one meditation; 
but what it always imports you, is that 
you be penetrated with the truth, and, by 
reviewing the past and looking forward 
into the future, to give it a practical appli- 
cation to yourself. 

205. How easy and salutary it is for 
you to acquire a knowledge of yourself in 
meditation, when you are alone in the 
sight of God, and in the presence of the 
prescriptions of his holy Will, as you shall 
stand alone before his judgment-seat! 
Thus true meditation is closely connected 
with the examination of conscience, be it 



140 



general or particular. To conclude, make 
meditation to acquire a better knowledge 
of yourself, and to become such as God 
wishes you to be. This work is accom- 
plished by frequent reviews on your- 
self, by incessant comparisons of what you 
are with what you ought to be; it like- 
wise finds its place in the other parts, i. e. 
in the affections and resolutions, for it is 
one. of most useful occupations during 
meditation. 

206. There exist besides, rules simple 
enough which facilitate this work and as- 
sist you in finding the developments of 
which you are in quest. Put into prac- 
tice yourself the counsels which you would 
give to your scholars for a composition, 
an elementary study, a description, a let- 
ter, or a short dissertation : the method 
and ways of proceeding which you would 
teach them as proper to lead their minds 
towards discovering in the principal idea 
other secondary ideas naturally connected 
w T ith it; the sources which you would 
point out to them whence they might, ev- 
er and anon, draw collections containing 






— 141 — 

developments for any subject whatever, 
questions which might be given on any 
subject, fact, or truth, with answers most 
appropriate to these questions. 

207. These rules constitute a true guide 
who conducts your soul, and shows her in 
succession, all the parts, all the sides of the 
object, one after the other; who, placing 
you in view of the object, puts questions 
to you similar to those in this well-known 
verse : 

Quis? quid? ubi? quibus auxiliis? enr? quomodo? quando? 

Who has said or done this? what has he 
said or done? where ? by what means? why? 
how? when? Finally, what conclusion is 
to be drawn? what resolutions to be taken? 
What have I to do personally? what obsta- 
cles are to be removed? what means to be 
prepared and employed? how have those 
acted that obtained success? 

208. Definitions are then to be given, 
enumerations to be made, comparisons to 
be employed; you will remark similarities, 
opposites, antecedents, consequents, cause 
and effect, and a thousand other circum- 
stances. Consult the masters and the doc- 



142 



uments that can furnish you with infor- 
mations: experience, history, books, the 
testimony of men and especially that of 
God. 

209. The testimony of God is certain- 
ly of the greatest assistance to you in the 
exercise of meditation. You are in the do- 
main of faith, where God speaks directly 
to your heart by the unction of the Holy 
Spirit, where he speaks to you as often as 
you wish, by the examples and doctrine 
of his Son, by Scripture, Holy Church, 
the examples and doctrine of his Saints, 
finally by the ascetic authors. The field 
is so vast that it impossible ever to be re- 
strained in your process. 

210. The condition of the man who 
seeks for light in meditation is therefore 
infinitely above the condition of theone who 
seeks for light in study only. To be in 
the presence of the Divine Master, to pos- 
sess the facility of consulting him, of in- 
terrogating him at any moment in order 
to ascertain his thoughts upon everything, 
is, after the beatific vision of the angels, 
the best condition for seeing, judging, and 



— 143 — 

esteeming everything according to truth. 

211. The human means which we have 
just pointed out, must not be neglected. 
God, who is the Author of the natural as 
well as the supernatural order, who has 
grafted faith on reason, and grace on the 
natural powers of the soul, who employs 
material elements to produce the wonder- 
ful effects, both spiritual and supernatural, 
of the sacraments, wishes you to have re- 
course to the natural means according to 
the measure of your strength, for he 
neither favors nor approves idleness un- 
der any form. Help yourself and Heaven 
will help you. Exercise yourself then in 
the processes of which we have spoken, 
and you will perceive with satisfaction 
that your mind is rapidly acquiring facili- 
ty, flexibility, and penetration. You will 
habituate yourself to grasp promptly and 
at the first glance the different aspects of 
an object; little by little you will do in- 
stinctively what you have at first done 
with effort and reflection. 

212. But, while applying all the facul- 
ties of the soul, be always convinced that 



— 144 — 

the supernatural action is an indispensable 
help, even for the least success in med- 
itation. Without God's help we can do 
nothing, absolutely nothing: "Sine me ni- 
hil potestis facer e." (John xv, 5.) Do not 
therefore omit to ask earnestly for what- 
ever you need. Interrupt the work of the 
considerations by prayer, multiply acts 
of faith. Address yourself to God, the 
Father of lights; to Jesus Christ, his Son, 
the way, the truth, and the life, the light 
of the world : to the Holy Spirit, the in- 
spirer of every prayer, without whom all 
is darkness and impotency; to the most 
holy Virgin, the seat of wisdom and the 
channel of all graces; to your guardian an- 
gel and holy patrons, your advocates and 
acceptable intermediaries with God. 

213. Have recourse therefore to fre- 
quent invocations while applying yourself 
to considerations; the Holy Scriptures 
and Sacred Liturgy will furnish you with 
excellent formulas for this purpose: u Da 
mihi intellectum, ut sciam testimonia tua; 
give me understanding that I may know 
thy testimonies." (Ps. cxviii, 125.) L 'Domi- 



— 145 — 

ne, fac ut videam; Lord, that I may see." 
"Loquere, Domine, quia audit servus tuus ; 
speak, Lord, thy servant heareth." 
(I Kings, in, 9.) 

Veni, sancte Spiritus, 

Et emitte caditus 

Lucis tuce radium. 
Come, holy Spirit, send us from on high 
a ray of thy light. 

Ave, maris Stella... 

Solve vincla reis, 

Profer lumen ccecis. 
Hail, star of the sea, break the chains of 
the guilty, give light to the blind. 

214. We must be thoroughly convinced 
that it is God who gives intelligence and 

operates all in all He has shown it in 

a striking manner in the Apostles and first 
disciples: aperuit Mis sensum ut intelliger- 
€ft£(Luke xxiv, 45.) ; lie still shows it each 
day in simple and humble souls who fre- 
quently succeed in making considerations 
sufficient to produce pious affections and 
lead them finally to efficacious resolutions. 

215. It still remains to warn you against 
certain dangers. One obstacle, of which 

guide. 10 



— 146 — 

many do not think, is to study, instead ol 
meditating and praying, as if we had after- 
wards to explain and preach these truths 
to others. This is rather a dissipation 
through work than a recollection of the 
soul in prayer. Doubtless we must med- 
itate on our instructions, but it would be 
imprudent to make a study of meditation. 
"Although meditation be the investigation 
of a hidden truth, still its immediate end is 
not to make us acquainted with new truths 
of which we have still been ignorant; for 
its results should be not so much to make 
us advance in science as to make us pro- 
gress in the love and devotedness of chari- 
ty. Licet meditatio dicatur esse investigatio 
veritatis occulta?, nihilominus per se non 
tendit ad cognoscendas novas veritates occul- 
tas, quia hcec meditatio non tarn ordinatur 
ad sciendum quam ad amandum et operan- 
dum." (Suarez.) 

216. Avoid also being too eager for 
grand thoughts and sublime ideas; you 
would run the risk of passing your time in 
distractions, -of meeting with nothing but 
dryness, and of gathering deceptions. In 



— 147 — 

meditation, it is out of question to have cu- 
rious and nice thoughts; the main thing 
is to penetrate yourself with a truth in pro- 
portion as it is manifested to you in a 
broader day -light. 

217. Take courage then and have con- 
fidence! Begin to-day to make your med- 
itation according to the teachings of your 
Guide ; be faithful to its recommendations, 
and you will never be stopped nor even 
embarrassed in that part of meditation 
which we call considerations or prayer of 
meditation. 




CHAPTBE IX. 



HOW THE AFFECTIONS ARE PRODUCED, 
AND IN WHAT THE "PRAYER OF SUP- 



PLICATION" CONSISTS. 



218. In every well made meditation, 
the spirit acts on the heart, the considera- 
tions re-echo in the sensitive part of the 
soul, the convictions of the spirit reflect 
in the heart by attractions or repulsions, 
and in the will by determinations. How, 
in fact, can we meditate on hell, without 
being seized with fear at the thought of 
falling therein ; on heaven, without feel- 
ing a longing desire to have our abode 
there: on the Passion of our Savior, with- 
out understanding better the value of the 
soul and the grievous n ess of sin ; on the 
mission of Mary, without being animated 
to filial confidence? The more profoundly 
we meditate on a truth, the more vivid 
are the sentiments it produces. 



— 149 — 

219. By the general name of affections 
we designate those sentiments which 
communicate to the soul emotions, incli- 
nations, impulses, sometimes of vigor, 
sometimes of prostration, which are man- 
ifested by Jove or hatred, fear or confi- 
dence, desire or aversion, etc. 

220. Affections are sometimes sponta- 
neous; at other times they are voluntary 
either by nature or in their causes. 
They are spontaneous when they present 
themselves without having been sought 
for; they are voluntary by nature when it 
is alwa} 7 s in our power to produce them: 
such are the acts of faith, hope, and char- 
ity, but especially the petitions and sup- 
plications; they are voluntary in their 
causes, when we can produce them only 
in an indirect manner, by reflection; as 
sentiments of love or hatred, confidence 
or fear, etc. Both spontaneous and vol- 
untary affections may be kept up and di- 
rected by reflection, and thus it is that 
the affections which are spontaneous by 
nature are transformed into acts of the 
will. 



150 



221. Behold why in the ascetic lan- 
guage, it is customary to designate, by the 
name of affections, even those acts in 
which the will plays often the greatest 
part, whether by direct intervention, or 
by the attention kept up in the consider- 
ations. These acts, more or less volunta- 
ry, consist of aspirations, desires, regrets, 
prayers, petitions; they are acts of faith, 
hope, and charity; of humility, contrition, 
gratitude, admiration, fear, respect, sub- 
mission^ oblation ; but most frequently of 
humble supplications, repeated entreaties, 
fervent invocations. 

222. The affections vary greatly, and 
correspond ordinarily to the considera- 
tions, which produce them. Thus the 
considerations on the past call forth acts 
of humility, fear, regret, gratitude, etc. ; 
the considerations on the present call 
forth acts of fervor, love, holy desires, 
etc.; and those on th& future call forth 
acts of hope, confidence, submission to 
the Will of God, good purposes, etc.; fi- 
nally, the} 7 should all produce humble 
supplications. 



151 



223. "What unite us to God in medi- 
tation, are not so much the good thoughts 
of our mind, as the good movements of our 
will or the holy affections. Now the affec- 
tions which we produce in meditation are 
the acts of humility and confidence, of 
self-denial and resignation, and, especial- 
ly, those of love." (St. Alphonsus de Li- 
guori.) Since these affections depend on 
the will, it follows that we are always a- 
ble to produce them. 

224. We have just seen how these sen- 
timents are produced and developed by 
the considerations, but things do not al- 
ways proceed in this order. St. Francis 
of Sales says: "We must never check the 
affections, but allow them to come forth, 
whenever they present themselves. If, 
without using violence, your will follows 
the affections, it is not necessary to play 
with the considerations; but as this does 
not ordinarily happen to us who are im- 
perfect, it is necessary to have recourse to 
the considerations. Thus, though it be 
good ordinarily to follow the method, i. e. 
to introduce the affections after the con- 



152 



siderations, the resolutions after the affec- 
tions, so that the considerations come first; 
still, if after the mystery has been expos- 
ed, the affections find themselves already 
moved, as it sometimes happens, then the 
bridle must be slackened, the affections be 
permitted to have their course, because it 
is a sign that the Holy Spirit draws us in 
that direction; for the considerations are 
made only in order to move the affec- 
tions."- 

225. St. Francis of Sales does not even 
wish the. affections to be rejected, if they 
succeed one another till the end of med- 
itation. "I would lay it down as a gen- 
eral rule that in your meditations you 
should never check the affections, but al- 
low them to come forth whenever they 
they present themselves until the end of 
the time appointed for the meditation." 

226. It is grace that acts, it is God who 
speaks to us in the affections which thus 
come, as it were, of their own accord. 
"During meditation it is necessary," says 
St. Vincent of Paul, "to raise the mind to 
God and to keep ourselves in an humble 



153 



view of onr nothingness, awaiting the mo- 
ment when God will speak to our heart 
and say some words of eternal life to us; 
because one word of his will be. produc- 
tive of greater effects in us than many 
reasonings and thoughts of our own. 
Only that which comes from God, only 
that with which God himself will in- 
spire us, can truly be profitable to our 
hearts." 

227. Therefore we should never oppose 
this action of God, i. e. these sentiments 
of the soul which are betrayed by gener- 
ous movements, by invocations, cries of 
admiration, love, and devotion, by ejacu- 
latory prayers: "In meditatione mea exar- 
descet ignis; in my meditation a fire shall 
flame out." (Ps. xxxviii, 4.) 

228. Still as the angel of darkness is 
sometimes transformed into an angel of 
light, we must be on our guard not to take 
for a divine operation what may be but 
a ruse of the demon. There are sensible 
affections which we must mistrust: they 
are such as proceed from a purely natural 
sensibility, and have the only effect of mov- 



— 154— 

ing our heart without inducing us to take 1 
good resolutions; these kind of affections 
lead easily to illusions, as we shall show 
later on (art. 381). 

229. If the sensible attractions we 
sometimes feel in meditation, help us to 
make meditation well, to deny ourselves, 
and to practice virtue, they are graces and 
encouragements which Almighty God 
sends us and for which we ought to bo 
grateful. But let us always bear in mind 
that these attractions and consolations are 
not in our power, that they are neither 
necessary, nor meritorious in themselves, 
and that we can make excellent medita- 
tions without feeling the least pleasure 
therein. 

230. But often it is not sufficient sim- 
ply to give free scope to these sentiments, 
and to express them in passing; it even 
does not suffice to entertain them when 
they are presented to us under the action 
of grace; in most cases it is useful 
and even necessary to call them forth 
by an effort of the will, to reproduce 
them, to strengthen them, and to give 



155 



them more life and energy. Affections 
which havebeen thus brought forth, may 
occupy a greater place in the body 
of the meditation than the considera- 
tions. This has even been counselled and 
practiced by the masters of a spiritual life, 
among others by St. Augustine, St. Teresa, 
St. Francis of Sales, St. Vincent of Paul, 
and St. Alphonsus of Liguori. 

231. It is well understood that we 
speak here of affections, in as much as they 
depend on our will; among these affections 
there is one kind, which is always in our 
power, that of supplication, under the 
most divers forms. Now the prayer of 
supplication is the best affection and most 
useful occupation during meditation. 

232. Why do the words mental prayer, 
which signify prayer, petition, supplica- 
tion, at the same time, designate the con- 
siderations, affections, resolutions, and ev- 
ery other act of this holy exercise? Be- 
cause the prayer of supplication ordinari- 
ly occupies the largest place in mental 
prayer and constitutes its noblest part. 

233. "In meditation, it is very useful, 



156 



and perhaps preferable to all else, to pray 
frequently, by asking God humbly and 
confidently for his holy grace, i. c. for the 
light of which we stand in need, for res- 
ignation, perseverance, etc., but especial- 
ly for the gift of holy love. St. Francis 
of Sales has said that with the gift of di- 
vine love we obtain every grace. In truth, 
a soul that really loves God with all her 
affections, will, of her own accord, and 
without being told, avoid whatever could 
displease the Lord, and will endeavor to 
be agreeable to him in all things. If you 
happen to be subject to dryness and ob- 
scurity, to such a degree as to feel your- 
self unable to produce good acts, it then 
suffices to say: My Jesus, mercy ! Lord, for 
mercy's sake, help me! Such a meditation 
may perhaps be the most useful and bene- 
ficial to you." (St. Alphonsus de Liguori.) 
234. Let us conclude these reflections 
by the following words of the same saint: 
"The principal fruit of meditation is 
prayer/' This is not a vain tautology; 
St. Alphonsus thereby declares to us, that 
of all the acts of meditation, the affections 



157 



merit the preference, and of all the vari- 
ous kinds of affections, the petitions, sup- 
plications, and invocations hold the first 
rank. 

235. How consoling it is to state that 
the most useful act of meditation is at the 
same time the easiest! Is there any man, 
no matter in what situation he may be, 
who cannot say and repeat a thousand 
times: Father, remember that I am thy 
child; see, I want this, I need that: be- 
sides I am certain that thou wilt grant it 
to me, since thou hast promised me what- 
ever I should ask of thee, because thou 
art infinitely good and ever faithful to thy 
promises, and because thou lovest me. 
Or further : I am in danger of perdition, 
save me ! I am sick, cure me! I am blind, 
grant that I may see! L am miserable! 
O my Jesus, mercy ! etc. 

236. Is there any condition in life, in 
which this so simple prayer be not easy? 
But the more poor, miserable, and forsak- 
en you are, without hope in any direction, 
the more favorable is your condition, the 
more freely ought prayer to ascend from 



158 



your heart. ''There is nothing easier 
than to pray: Lord, assist me; Lord, help 
me; grant me thy love, etc. Can any- 
thing easier be found?" (St. Alphonsusde 
Liguori. 

237. Let us henceforth attach our- 
selves to this practice, and we shall ex- 
perience in ourselves what St. Alphonsus 
has noticed in the souls which he direct- 
ed, and which, according to the same 
saint, was felt by a religious who has be- 
come a distinguished master in the spir- 
itual life, the venerable P. Segneri: As 
long as we apply ourselves in meditation 
principally to reflections, we encounter al- 
most insurmountable obstacles ; as soon 
as we begin to multijDly petitions, invo- 
cations, ejaculatory prayers, we progress 
rapidly with but little trouble. 

238. Such is also the practice of Holy 
Church. Have you already taken notice 
that almost all the exercises and liturgical 
offices of our holy religion are composed 
of short prayers, of simple requests, which 
follow each other without transition, with- 
out interruption, and are often repeated 



159 



in the same terms and under the same 
form? You will find it to be so, if for this 
purpose you peruse the psalms, hymns, 
versicles, responses, and other parts of the 
Breviary, all the prayers of the Missal 
and .Ritual, the most ordinary prayer of 
the Christian, the Pater, Ave, Veni Sancte, 
Sub tuum, grace before and after meals, 
the. Litanies of the Blessed Virgin, of the 
holy Name of Jesus and of all the Saints. 
They always consist of short invocations 
or recommendations addressed directly to 
God, to the Blessed Virgin, and to the 
Saints. 

239. Make your choice from this rich 
collection, from Scripture, from the writ- 
ings of the Saints, and from books of pie- 
ty; make for your own personal use a col- 
lection, like an immense bouquet, or a 
spiritual quiver, wherein you keep a de- 
posit of your ejaculatory prayers; note 
down likewise, in this spiritual memoran- 
dum-book, striking thoughts, pious max- 
ims, and fervent invocations, with which 
you come across in your pious readings. 
Then frequently peruse, sometimes one 



— 160 — 

page, sometimes another of this valuable 
collection; soon you will perceive that 
you possess an inexhaustible treasure, a 
source whence gushes forth life-giving 
water. In your meditation, these texts 
will freely present themselves to your 
mind; they will become, without any la- 
bor on your part, the expression of your 
sentiments, the aliment of your affections, 
the formula of your prayers : you will draw 
at will these ejaculatory prayers from your 
quiver to direct them towards heaven un- 
der the impulse of your heart. 

240. After the example of the Church, 
be careful to address these prayers to God 
and to his Saints by employing the direct 
discourse, by making your petitions to 
them without an intermediary, and speak- 
ing to them as we do to one before whom 
we stand. Do not forget that you are in 
presence of God and his Saints; for every 
prayer, whatever be its ulterior character, 
is at first a prayer of faith and of the pres- 
ence of God. 

241. How easy and eloquent are not 
these direct invocations: "JDomine, dove, 



1GI 



nos or are; — Domine, fac ut videam; — 
Da mihi intellectum ; — Deus, in adju- 
torium meant infende; — Kyrie eleison; — 
Jesus, lux vera, Jesu, bonitas infinita, mise- 
rere nobis; — Veni, Sancte Spiritus; — - 
Sancta Maria, salus infirmorum, consolatrix 
afflictorum, or a pro nobis, etc. Lord, leach 
us how to pray. Lord that I may see. 
Give me intelligence. O God, come to 
my assistance. Lord, have mercy. Jesus, 
the true light; Jesus, infinite goodness, 
have mercy on us. Come, Holy Ghost. 
Holy Mary, health of the sick, comfort of 
the afflicted, pray for us." 

242. Thus prayed those who had the 
happiness of enjoying the visible presence 
of our Lord. Everywhere in the Gospel 
you will find that the considerations, the 
reasonings are short, but the affections 
and supplications are lively and frequent 
Let us but call to mind some examples, 
whose details you may find in the sacred 
text. The centurion made use of this 
short reasoning: u My soldiers and serv- 
ants obey me at the first word; say but 
one word and my servant shall be healed.' 5 

GUIDE. 11 



— 1G2 — 

(Matt, vn.) The Chanaanite woman 
makes use of a humble comparison: "The 
whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall 
from the tables of their masters" : such is 
her entire statement; but her prayers are 
so earnest, so importunate, that the Apos- 
tles are fatigued by them. (Matt, xv.) The 
good thief makes likewise a short and 
simple reflection; the rest of the time, he 
supplicates the Saviour not to forget him, 
when he shall have entered his kingdom. 
They are accomplished models. 

243. Could you ever be embarrassed a- 
bout what to ask of God? But in that case 
you would be the most pitiful of men, be- 
cause you would be in a profound blind- 
ness concerning yourself, your brothers, 
and the needs of holy Catholic Church. 

244. Consider your personal wants, the 
interest of those confided to you, your suf- 
ferings, weariness, daily deceptions, the 
persons and works depending on your 
zeal. How many subjects of supplicating 
invocation, of incessant ejaculatory 
prayers; what an easy, sweet, and useful 
occupation during your meditations! 



163 



245. Place no limits to your affections 
and desires, and in consequence to your 
petitions. Has it not been said to us: 
u JEstote perfecti sicut Pater vester- eoelestis 
perfectue est : bo ye perfect as your heav- 
enly Father is perfect?" (Matt, v, 48.) 
u \Ye should wish," says St. Philip of Ne- 
ri, '-to surpass, if it were possible, even the 
sanctity of SS. Peter and Paul; we can 
not attain such a happiness, but we ought 
to desire it ardently, that we might accom- 
plish by desire what we cannot accom- 
plish in reality." The Pater, this model 
prayer, is composed, in the first part, of 
three desires of this kind: hallowed be 
thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will 
be done on earth, as it is in heaven! You 
cannot therefore entertain the least doubt 
as to the excellence of this manner ot 
praying which we recommend, since it is 
that of our Lord himself. 

246. Is it not equally conformable to 
the heart of God, to multiply invocations 
in favor of all noble and holy causes: for 
holy Church, for the. .Society or family to 
which we belong; for the just, that God 



1G4 



may preserve them; for the sinners, that 
he may pardon them; for the departed, 
that he may alleviate their pains; for the 
living, relatives, friends, pupils, benefac- 
tors, the afflicted, the sick, the captives, 
for infidels and heretics, that he may be- 
stow upon them the benefits of his mercy? 
247. If you are a member of the Apos- 
tleship of Prayer, you will not be able to 
count the petitioners who crow T d around 
you to ask for the help of your prayers; 
you will become, according to the title of 
the Association, an Apostle by prayer, 
and you will work as effectually at the 
conquest of souls, as missionaries and 
preachers do by word of mouth; it will 
be a consolation for you to recall to mind 
the examples of St. Teresa, St. Mary Mag- 
dalen of Pazzi, and so many others, who 
by their prayers have converted as many 
souls as St. Francis Xavier and his nu- 
merous followers. Prayer alone obtains 
more than mere preaching, and even the 
word of the Gospel owes its force to prayer 
which draws the heavenly graces down 
upon earth. 









— 165 — 

248. But let us make an almost inad- 
missible supposition. Let us admit that 
you are sometimes reduced to such a state 
of weakness, powerlessness, prostration, 
distraction, aridity, and discouragement, 
that you think it impossible, to have, to 
entertain, and to repeat the least good 
thought. You will then, at least, not be 
unable to acknowledge and confess that 
such is the state of your soul. Now, is 
not this an act of humility, a wholesome 
conviction, an avowal far more pleasing to 
God than a great number of thoughts that 
would appear to you more worthy and 
meritorious? 

249. Thus the act of humility is never 
impossible and becomes the easier as in 
reality you are more miserable. What 
excuse have you still to allege? what even 
remains for you to desire in order to be, 
whenever you wish, a man of prayer? 

250. The acknowledgement of your 
nothingness is at the same time the best 
exercise and the most desirable effect of 
meditation. Listen to St. Teresa: "The 
least act of this virtue, when it takes 



— 166 — 



place in presence of the Eternal Wisdom, 
is worth more than all the science of the 
world. There is then no longer time for 
reasoning, but for acknowledging sincere- 
ly what we are, and presenting ourselves id 
this condition before God. 7 ' Imitate the 
publican who did not dare to lift his eyes 
towards heaven; for this manner of pray- 
ing is infinitely more agreeable to God 
than all the eloquence of rhetoricians, and 
all the science of savants. 

251. Thus when you are stopped for any 
reason whatever, and unable of conceiv- 
ing, saying, or wishing anything, make 
an act of humility on this very inability 
and east yourself into the merciful arms 
of God. It was the process of that admir- 
able man of meditation, St. Francis of As- 
sisium. He loved in his meditation to re- 
})eat this prayer: "My God and ray All, 
who art thou, sweet Lord? What am I, thy 
servant? A mean worm, 1 would wish 
to love thee, most holy Lord, I would 
wish to love thee. O God, I have con- 
secrated my heart and my body to thee! 
If I should know how to do still more for 



— 167 — 

thee, I would do it, 1 desire it ardently." 
The royal Prophet also had constantly re- 
course to this kind of prayer. Read the 
psalms; what recur most frequently are 
invocations similar to those composing the 
two magnificent psalms which we know 
by heart: Miserere met Deus, secundum 
magnam misericordiam tuam. — Be pro- 
fundis clamavlad te, Domine, Domine exau- 
di vocem meam. 

252. Join confidence to humility, and 
you will have a perfect meditation; be be- 
fore God as a child before its father. I 
refer you again to arts. 136 - 142; read 
them again to complete our teaching on 
this part of mental prayer called affec- 
tions, or prayer of supplication ; for, as we 
have pointed out first the prayer of faith 
and of the presence of God, afterwards the 
prayer of meditation, so we now point out 
the prayer of supplication; by this name 
we designate mental prayer, whenever it is 
composed principally of those humble 
prayers and invocations, whose frequent 
use we have just counselled you. I need 
not say, of course, that the prayer of sup- 



168 



plication is always united to the prayer of 
faith and of the presence of God. and 
that it is mostly based on meditation. 

253. Eemember well that the prayer 
of supplication is the most wholesome, the 
most divine, the most useful and delight- 
ful occupation, and the easiest of all the 
exercises of piety. May henceforth your 
heart seek its repose in this holy exercise! 
It will find therein that peace which the 
w T orld cannot give, because therein it will 
find its God, the source of every consola- 
tion. 

254. When the heart belongs to God, 
ever} T thing belongs to God; for the heart 
soon finishes by drawing the will along 
with it; and with the will all the actions 
of your life. Accordingly and without 
our knowledge, our affections become re- 
solutions; they are converted into holy de- 
sires, protestations of fidelity, generous 
promises and firm purposes. It is God 
who operates these wonders, for he moves 
the heart, and afterwards still operates on 
the heart to produce the desire and ac- 
tion: "Inclina cor meum in testimonia tua: 



— 169 — 

incline my heart unto thy testimonies." 
(Ps. cxvm, 36.) a Deus est enim qui opera- 
tur et velle et perftcere : for it is God who 
worketh in you both to will and to ac- 
complish." (Phil. ii ? 13.) 

255. What is essential and all import- 
ant for us, is to let God act; then place 
yourself entirely at his disposal, repeat- 
ing with St. Teresa: "Dispose of me and 
of all that belongs to me as it pleases 
thee." The seraphic St. Teresa was ac- 
customed to repeat this act of affectionate 
offering more than fifty times a day. Do 
not therefore tell me any longer that you 
do nothing during meditation. Great 
God! what can you do better than 
expose your misery to your heavenly 
Father and ask him to have pity on 
his child. Bemember well; it is better 
to devote yourself to affections than 
to reasonings. The utility of mental 
prayer consists less in the meditation it- 
self than in the affections, prayers, and 
resolutions, which are the three principal 
fruits of mental prayer. 



CHAPTER X. 

How "resolutions" are formed and in 

WHAT THE ''PRAYER OF UNION" CONSISTS. 



256. The mind sees what is to be done, 
it conceives, designs, and projects; the 
heart forms desires, the will alone decides 
the execution of projects and the accom- 
plishment of desires: the decisions of the 
will are called resolutions. 

257. We have seen how resolutions are 
produced; they have their origin in the 
considerations: Ignoti nulla cup i do, ac- 
cording to an old saying; we do not feel, 
we cannot even feel a desire for what we 
do not know. Thus, the intelligence 
shows the object, the heart attaches itself 
to it or repels it, and the will is the more 
strongly solicited as the heart is the more 
vividly affected. Nevertheless the will is 
attracted only as far as it gives consent 
thereto, because it is free, i. e. master of 
its resolutions and responsible for its acts. 

258. God operates upon the will by 
his grace, as the intellect does by its lights 






— 171 — 

and the heart by its attraction's: without 
the intervention of God, or without the 
help of his grace, the will would be un- 
able to desire the least good, or to pro- 
duce any effective resolution, any super- 
natural act. 

259. But if, on the one hand, the will 
cannot do any thing, nor does anything 
unless enlightened by the mind, attracted 
by the heart, and strengthened by grace, 
the considerations on the other hand, will 
likewise remain purely theoretical, the 
affections powerless, and grace sterile, as 
long as the will does not give assent, and 
command its execution. Thus the action 
of the will is decisive and necessary. 
The most beautiful considerations would 
resemble a Utopia, the most ardent affec- 
tions would be reduced to a phenomenon 
of sentimentality, if they did not end in 
manly and fruitful resolutions. 

260. The resolution is the personal 
and most complete act of meditation, it 
finishes what has gone before and regu- 
lates what is to follow. Good resolutions 
con d net man to perfection. If you are 



— 172 — 

not what you ought to be before God and 
men, it is, because, up to this day your 
resolutions were not what they should 
have been. 

261. We have neglected no opportuni- 
ty to remark that, in an upright and sin- 
cere soul, the considerations and affections 
are rarely produced during the course of 
the meditation, without the will taking, 
at the same time, some holy determina- 
tion, some praiseworthy resolution. The 
question is only to be careful that the re- 
solutions do not remain sterile; therefore 
it is always useful and often necessary, to 
consecrate some time to this part of men- 
tal prayer. 

262. But like other acts of meditation, 
good resolutions are more the gift of God 
than the fruit of our industry. You 
should therefore be mindful, whilst you 
are taking your resolutions, to have re- 
course to the most earnest supplications : 
vary the expression of these invocations, 
make use of ejaculatory prayers, and suc- 
cessively address yourself to God, to the 
most holy Virgin, to your guardian angel 






— 173 — 

and to your holy patrons. At no time is 
the help of God more indispensable, than 
when you are about setting to work at 
your own conversion and sanctification: 
"Nisi Dominus cedificaverit domum, in va- 
numlaboraverunt qui cedificant earn; if the 
Lord does not help, and himself erect the 
edifice of our sanctity, all those that labor 
at it, will be sadly surprised to learn that 
their labors have remained fruitless. 
(Ps. cxxvi.) Eenew then your invoca- 
tions. As soon as a good resolution has 
been taken, confide its deposit to the most 
holy Virgin. Is she not the guardian of 
oar treasures; posuerunt me custodemf Is 
she not the singular vessel, in which the 
treasure of our devotion is preserved? The 
tower of David, by which we are protect- 
ed against our enemies? Lastly, the chan- 
nel of all graces? Our confidence in her 
ought to be unlimited. "Ipsa enim detinet 
virtutes nefugiant,merita ne pereant, gr alias 
ne effluant. Mary guards the deposit of our 
virtues, lest they perish, our merits, lest 
they be lost, the graces, lest they be wast- 
ed. " (St. Bonaventure.) 



174 



263. .Resolutions are like trees; those 
are good which bear fruit. Nevertheless, 
as the fruit docs not appear immediately 
or instantaneously, measures have been 
taken to discern good from false resolu- 
tions, by some well-nigh infallible marks. 
Every good resolution ought to be: 

i. Precise, i. e. determined, particular, 
and to the point. Mark out what is to be 
done, the time, place, manner, means, etc.; 
whatever is vague, is impracticable. "It 
often happens that the means for attain- 
ing our salvation, when considered in 
bulk or in general, are agreeable to our 
heart; but, when looked at in detail or in 
particular, they are frightful: this is, why 
in holy meditation, we make special reso- 
lutions." (St. Francis of Sales.) "It is nec- 
essary, O Philothea," still continues the 
same Saint, "that you change the general 
affections into special and particular reso- 
lutions for your correction and amend- 
ment. For example, take the first word 
spoken by our Savior on the Cross; it will, 
doubtless, diffuse a holy affection in your 
soul, viz., the desire of loving and pardon- 






— 175 — 

ing your enemies. Now I say to you, 
that this is of little value if you do not 
add thereto some special and particular 
resolution of this kind: Well then, I will 
no longer be vexed about the angry 
words, that this person, my neighbor, or 
my servant may speak about me, nor of 
thecontcmpt,thatmay be shown me by that 
person; on the contrary, I will do these 
actions to gain and soften them, and so on 
of others. By this means, O Philothea, 
you will correct your faults in a short 
time." 

264. 2. Personal: this quality is com- 
prised in precision; we name it neverthe- 
less, that you may not fail to consult your 
nature, your past and present life, your 
future, your experience, your passions, es- 
pecially your ruling passion, your inclina- 
tions, necessities, resources, and duties." 
"Since you know from what direction the 
enemy presses you most, it is there, that 
you must resist, fortify yourself strongly, 
and keep on your guard. " (St. Francis of 
Sales.) 

2G5. If } T ou are still a beginner in the 



— 17G — 

spiritual life, and endeavor to correct your 
faults, commence with the one that seems 
to be the most dangerous. It is that which 
ordinarily constitutes our predominant 
passion: or a sin that is accompanied with 
scandal, as the neglect of the duties of our 
state, slander, disobedience, criticising. 
If you are endeavoring to acquire virtues, 
commence with the most important, such 
as humility, obedience, charity. Of the 
acts proper to these virtues, apply your- 
self first to those of a more habitual prac- 
tice. 

266. 3. Actual or proximate; if the 
resolution has not an immediate applica- 
tion, it has most frequently no application. 
Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. 
Attend to what must be acquired or 
reformed for the moment, otherwise you 
wi 1 1 remain in the field of speculation, and 
nothing will be accomplished. "If, for in- 
stance, I have resolved to gain by gentle- 
ness the hearts of those who have given- 
me offense, I will try to-day to meet them 
that I may offer them a friendly greeting; 
and if I cannot meet them, I will speak 



177 



well of them, and pray to God in their 
behalf." (St. Francis of Sales.) Therefore 
say to yourself: To-day I will avoid such 
an occasion where lam liable to fall; I 
will watch over myself especially on 
that occasion; I will acquit myself of this 
duty as I should, and to that end, take the 
following means, etc. 

267. 4. Firm, i. e. considered and 
weighed in the scales of the sanctuary. 
This resolution ought not to be a mere 
whim, but a sovereign will, which com- 
mands and makes use of the means, a pi- 
ous will which confides in God and is sure 
of success, because it joins action to 
prayer; it is the union of man's will with 
the holy Will of God; it is therefore also 
the union of man's weakness with God's 
strength, the whole is nothing less than 
the strength of God : Quis ut Deusf 

268. 5. Persevering or constantly re- 
newed, until a desired result be obtained; 
it is one of the qualities of firmness. Since 
the resolution should bear relation to the 
wants of our soul, it follows that we ought 
not to take another one every day, and 

GUIDE. 12 



178 



that it is necessary to renew the same one 
frequently; for it is neither in a few days 
nor in a few weeks that we can correct 
ourselves of a defect, or acquire a good 
habit. Thus the same resolution may be 
renewed for weeks, months, and even 
years. "If we rooted out each year but 
one vice/' says the author of the Imitation 
of Christ, u we should soon become per- 
fect. " It is therefore prudent to keep to 
one resolution only, or at least to a very 
small number of them ; the effect will be 
surer, more rapid, and complete. There 
are duties in the spiritual life, which may 
be compared to the exterior works of a 
fortification. Of this number are : fidelity 
to the exercises of piety, good employ- 
ment of time, silence of the tongue, etc. 
As soon as the enemy has effected a breach 
in one of these outer works, we mu^t has- 
ten to repair it, and direct our resolutions 
and efforts towards this point. At the 
close of each meditation take the invari- 
able resolution of being faithful till the 
next meditation, and to prepare every- 
thing to make it well. 



179 



269. There is a quality which domi- 
nates and comprises all the others, viz. 
conformity to the Will of God, A thing, 
whatever it be, is good only because it is 
according to the will of God, and inas- 
much as it is so. We make meditation 
only to know and execute the Will of God 
in our regard. We know that for a reli- 
gious the Kule is the expression of the 
Will of God; for the Christian, the com- 
mandments of God and of the Church; for 
all, the duties of their state. "Conformity 
to the Divine Will is the treasure of the 
true Christian; it contains, in an eminent 
degree, mortification, perfect submission, 
self-abnegation, imitation of Jesus Christ, 
union with God, and, in general, all virt- 
ues, which are such only because conform- 
able to the Will of God, the origin and 
rule of every perfection." (St. Vincent of 
Paul.) 

270. Conformity to the Will of God is 
the supreme end, not only of every prayer, 
but of every exercise, of every act of our 
life, and of our life itself. On this account 
all the parts of mental prayer meet at 



— 180— 

this last conclusion, and ail the kinds and 
varieties of prayer have their consumma- 
tion in the prayer of conformity to the Will 
of God, which might also be called the 
prayer of union with God. 

271. In fact, nothing can more inti- 
mately unite us with God here on earth, 
than this conformity of the wills; the su- 
pernatural union of grace is in direct re- 
lation with the union of the wills, and 
true perfection is in this union. Every 
perfection not marked with this stamp is 
illusory. 

272. By the prayer of the union of 
wills, we become completely the organs of 
Jesus Christ, the members of his mystical 
body: unum corpus sumus. (Rom. xn, 5.) 
Jesus Christ, acting by us, and in us, acts 
himself and continues by his members, i e. 
by himself, as well as by us, his life, apos- 
tolate, teaching, works, and sufferings. 
Nothing is then more true than this say- 
ing of St. Paul: "Mihi vivere Christus est, 
Jesus is my life/' (Phil, i, 21.) " Vivo au- 
tem,jam non ego, vivit vero in me Christus. 
I live, now not I, but Christ iiveth in me." 



—181 — 

(Gal ii, 20.) Jesus Christ thus becomes 
all to all. and operates all in all. It is the 
last term of the Christian's vocation on 
this earth. Why is this doctrine not more 
universally meditated upon, preached, 
and taught? 

273. Behold in what words Rev. Fa- 
ther Olier sums up this doctrine: "To 
work in Jesus, is to desire the accomplish- 
ment of his divine Will in us, his mem- 
bers, who ought to be submissive to our 
chief, and have no other motion than that 
which is given to us by Jesus Christ, our 
king and our all, who, replenishing our 
souls with his spirit, virtue, and force, 
should be operating in and by us whatev- 
er he wishes. With the pastor, lie is a 
Pastor; with the priests, a Priest; with 
the religious, a Religious; with the peni- 
tents, a Penitent; and it is through them 
that he is to operate the works of their 
vocation. 

274. We cannot go beyond this union 
of grace and will with our Lord. The 
Will of God is both the primary reason 
and the ultimate perfection of whatever 



182 



exists. It is, consequently, the very per- 
fection of heaven, and the only perfection 
to be established on this earth: Fiat vo- 
luntas tua, sicut in ccelo, et in terra. Noth- 
ing pleases God so much, nothing draws 
down upon the soul more abundantly the 
looks of his benevolence than the disposi- 
tions summed up in these words: "Fiat 
mihi secundum verbum tuum; be it done to 
me according to thy word." Our Lord 
communicates himself accordingly to souls 
who conform themselves unreservedly and 
and constantly to the holy Will of God, 
and consult only his good pleasure in 
what they desire or do not desire." (St. 
Vincent of Paul.) 

275. By reason of the very excellence 
of this disposition, which constitutes the 
prayer of union such as we understand it 
here, we come back once more on this 
denomination and on the object thereof. 
What we call here prayer of union, must 
not be confounded with what, in mystic 
theology, is designated by the same name. 
But if the state of the soul is not the same 
in both cases, if the exterior signs differ 



183 



sensibly, do not, my dear friend, deduce 
from this difference any sad or lamenta- 
ble consequence for yourself, who follow 
the ordinary and common road. I can- 
not tell you anything more consoling and 
more decisive, than the reply our Savior 
made on a well-known occasion. 

276. Our Savior was one day speaking 
to the multitudes; his mother and rela- 
tions were there, but could not approach 
him on account of the crowd. Then one 
said to him: "Behold thy mother and thy 
brethren stand without, seeking thee." 
But he, answering him that told him, said: 
"Who is my mother, and who are my 
brethren ? " And stretching forth his hands 
towards the disciples, he said: "Behold 
my mother and my brethren. For who- 
soever shall do the will of my Father who 
is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, 
and mother." (Matt, xn, 47-50.) It is 
not, says elsewhere our Savior, the gift of 
miracles, nor even the gift of prayer, 
which will one day be rewarded in you, 
and which to-day ought to inspire you 
with some confidence: but your fidelity to 



184 



conform in all things to the will of your 
Father, who is in heaven. (Matt. vn,21-22.) 

277. Nothing is superior to the accom- 
plishment of the Will of God; as a conse- 
quence, nothing is superior to this prayer 
of union , which consists in the conformity 
of our will to the supreme will of God, 
which makes us love and seek this con- 
formity, and aim thereat in all our ac- 
tions. This prayer of union is the termi- 
nus or perfection of all the other kinds of 
prayer, which we have mentioned, and 
which might still be indicated. * Every 
prayer, under whatever form it is devel- 
oped, ends therefore in the prayer of un- 
ion; if practiced with true simplicity of 
heart, its effect must necessarily be, even 
without our mind reverting to it, to dis- 
pose our life, whether in the ensemble or 
in detail, according to the holy will 
of God. 

278. "Hence," do we conclude with St. 
Teresa, "all that is to be sought after in 
the exercise of mental prayer, is the con- 
formity of our will with that of God; to be 
well convinced that herein lies the high- 



185 



est perfection : he who most excels in this 
practice, will receive from God the great- 
est gifts, and will progress most rapidly 
in the interior life." 




CHAPTEE XI. 

"About the length of time" to be 
devoted to the "different parts of 
mental prayer." 

279. What has just been said of the 
considerations, affections, and resolutions 
relates to the first point, truth, or thought 
which occupied your attention at the com- 
mencement of mental prayer. When 
you find that you have dwelt a sufficient 
time on this first point, be it that the mat- 
ter is exhausted for you, or because you 
feel sated, pass to the next point and go 
over the same process again ; after which 
you may pass on to another point, if time 
permits. 

280. But, you may say, how long shall 
I stop at each point, and besides, how 
many minutes should I successively de- 
vote to the considerations, affections and 
resolutions? Although the answer to 
this question is already contained in pre- 



187 



ceding chapters, we nevertheless wish to 
give a direct reply in summing up what 
has previously been stated. 

281. Nowhere should there be at the 
same time greater docility and liberty 
than in the service of God; consequently, 
there is nowhere greater variety than in 
the practice of mental prayer. 

282. Every one modifies this exercise 
according to the state of his mind, the 
disposition of his soul, the inclinations of 
his heart, according to numberless circum- 
stances, but, above all, according to the 
attractions of the Holy Ghost. To-day 
you dwell longer on the preparatory acts, 
to-morrow on the considerations, another 
day on the affections, then again on the 
resolutions; thus you give to your men- 
tal prayer each time another character; 
and these different acts succeed one an- 
other, reproduce themselves, and are blend- 
ed one with another in all kinds of shapes. 

283. Wishing to proceed farther, you 
would like to ask me if it would not be 
proper nevertheless to trace for one's self 
some precise rules relative to the duration 



188 



and succession of the different parts of 
meditation, without however adhering 
too much to the letter. Would it be ad- 
visable, for example, in a quarter of an 
hour's meditation, to devote about one 
minute to the proximate preparation, 
four minutes to the considerations, four 
minutes to the affections, four minutes to 
the resolutions, and two minutes to the 
conclusion? 

284. Once more we repeat it, preserve 
the liberty of the children of God. Be 
not the slave of any process, of any meth- 
od whatsoever; for the method is to guide 
you, and not to keep you back. If God 
himself conducts 3^ou, if you advance by 
following the lights and attractions of 
grace, why do you look back, or about, to 
see whether you are walking according to 
the rules of the method. 

285. On this subject listen to our ami- 
able St. Francis of Sales: "Those greatly 
deceive themselves, says the saint, who 
consider, that for mental prayer there is 
required an abundance of methods, and a 
certain art which consists, according to 



-^-189 — 

them, in subtilizing and refining their 
meditation, to see how they are doing it, or 
how they may do it to satisfy themselves, 
thinking that one must neither cough, nor 
move, for fear the Spirit of God should with- 
draw itself. A great deceit, indeed; as if 
the Spirit of God was so delicate that it de- 
pended on the method and countenance of 
those who perform the meditation. I do 
not say that one ought not to use the 
methods .that have been alluded to; but I 
do say that that one ought not to attach 
one's self to them, as those do who think 
they have not made their meditation well, if 
they do not place their considerations be- 
fore the affections given them by God, 
wmich latter are nevertheless the end for 
which we make the considerations. Such 
persons resemble those whofinding them- 
selves at the place whither they wanted to 
go, return again, because they had not ar- 
rived by the road they had been told to go." 
28G. Prove by your simplicity, that 
you are children of God : simplicesfilii Dei. 
The children who gather about their fa- 
ther, do not study so carefully all their 



— 190 — 

movements and words. If the} 7 are what 
they ought to be, they know how to con- 
duet themselves properly, to be silent 
when necessary, and to speak at the prop- 
er time. To-day they speak more, to- 
morrow they listen longer; another time 
they simply remain in the father's pres- 
ence, together with their mother and the 
other members of the family: they are 
glad to behold, to be admitted to this 
beautiful reunion of the family, to belong 
to it, and to enjoy it. Is not this suf- 
ficient to constitute the prayer of faith and 
presence of God. 

287. Whenever the Spirit of God dif- 
fuses his light over some great truth or 
some mystery, and strikes your intelli- 
gence in such a manner as to keep its 
attention riveted to the subject, that you 
may consider it under all its forms, silt it 
well, and contemplate it at once in its 
whole extent, and depth, and in its ap- 
plication to your conduct, then obey this 
spirit, and make a meditation or the prayer 
of meditation. 

288. Another time this same Spirit ot 



— 191 — 

God will, from the beginning, take hold 
of your heart, and supply you abundant- 
ly with desires, affections, petitions, wish- 
es, invocations; or he will leave you to 
your impotence, and cause you to utter 
cries of distress; then it is time for you to 
apply yourself to the prayer of supplica- 
tion. 

289. Finally, behold how the will of 
God appears to you in its sanctitj^, justice, 
and loveliness, then in the application to 
the acts of your daily life; the Holy Spirit 
will prompt you to holy affections inter- 
spersed with pious resolutions; practice 
then the prayer of union or of conformity 
to the will of God. Slacken, hasten, regu- 
late your march under the inspirations oi 
the Holy Spirit, who breathes, when, 
where, and as it pleases him. 

290. What should always be found 
with you during mental prayer, is the 
habit of having frequent recourse to the 
invocations: then an absolute docility to 
the Holy Spirit; finally the individual la- 
bor under the influence of grace; the at- 
tention concentrated on the subject med- 



— 19: 






itated upon; the spirit enlightened and 
convinced by the light of faith and its 
own reflections; the heart disengaged from 
its vanities, and gained over to all that is 
truly beautiful, just and holy; the will 
the entire man united to the holy Will of 
God. 

291. The met hod favors personal ac- 
tion as well as the action of the Holy. Spir- 
it: in the same meditation it will come to 
pass, thatinthesecond point you neglect a 
process which has occupied you fruitfully 
in the first; a little later you will be struck 
at what, but a moment before, has left you 
unmoved. To-day you will make, above 
all, the prayer of faith or the presence of 
God, to-morr€>w that of meditation, anoth- 
er day the prayer of supplication, or that 
of union. 






CHAPTER XU. 



HOW TO END MENTAL PRAYER, OR HOW 
TO MAKE "THE CONCLUSION." 



292. When mental prayer is made in 
community, it is customary, to give warn- 
ing by a signal about three minutes before 
the end, that there are but a few minutes 
left to finish and take leave. Then break 
off the conversation in order to make use 
ofthepe last moments for those acts which, 
the most elementary notions of propriety 
andyourown dearest interests will not per- 
mit you either to omit or to perform neg- 
ligently; these acts correspond to those 
with which you have commenced your 
meditation ; you may vary them, and you 
may stop at each as long as time permits, 
or your soul retains you in a useful man- 
ner. 

293. Here follow the principal of these 
acts: 1. The homage of j^our gratitude or 

GUIDE. 13 



194 



a last thanksgiving, in which you cast a 
rapid glance over the interview in the 
light of a signal grace and a mark of God's 
special benevolence towards you. 

294. 2. An act of regret, excuse, sin- 
cere confusion at the remembrance of the 
faults into which you have fallen by rea- 
son of your weakness, under the very 
looks of God, at the very moment in which 
he opened the treasures of his heart for 
you. Before terminating this exercise, 
we must try to repair our faults as much 
as possible. The Holy Spirit himself in- 
vites us never tcr allow ourselves to finish 
our meditation badly : u Melior est finis ora- 
tionis quam principium. The end of prayer 
is better than the beginning thereof." 
(Eccl. VII. 9.) 

295. 3. A firm purpose which applies to 
all the resolutions already taken, but prin- 
cipally to the one on which you are going 
to concentrate all the forces of nature and 
grace, and one which you will renew un- 
til a satisfactory result has been obtained. 

296. 4. A maxim or a thought of faith, 
expressed by a text of holy Scriptures or 



195 



by a sentence of some saint; this act is a 
complement of the preceding. This text 
ought to unite, as it were, and implicitly 
recall all the good sentiments of the med- 
itation, on which account it is called the 
spiritual bouquet. It is not necessary to 
change this bouquet at each meditation. 

297. 5. A last word addressed to God, 
to the blessed Virgin, or to some saint on 
the subject or end of meditation : it is some- 
times called colloquy. 

298. It is a general custom to termi- 
nate the exercise by a vocal prayer recit- 
ed in community. This prayer is a final 
recourse to our patrons, because we stand 
in need of their protection and defence 
after meditation, since we carry such great 
spiritual riches; on which account we 
must be on our guard, "acting herein," 
says St. Francis of Sales, "like a man who 
has received a liquor of great price and 
carries it home in a vessel of beautiful 
porcelain. He walks very gently mind- 
ing nothing around him, but sometimes 
looking before him, for fear he might trip 
on some stone or make a false step, and 



1!M> 



sometimes at the vessel he is carrying, for 
fear it might lean on one side." You must 
act in the same manner when leaving 
meditation. 

299. This is the reason why we ask of 
God and the Blessed Virgin, in a formal 
manner, to defend and protect us against 
the enemies who are about to assail us 
with a rage so much the greater as we 
are more firmly resolved to remain faith- 
ful. We remind Jesus, our Savior, that 
he came upon earth to inflame our hearts 
with the fire of love that burns in his own 
heart. We do not grow tired asking for 
the intercession of the most holy Virgin 
Mary, of St. Joseph, and in their person, 
that of all our holy patrons, that the 
hopes, designs, and promises of Jesus 
Christ may be fully accomplished in us. 
For us, indeed, nothing is comparable to the 
Will of God, always just, always wise, al- 
ways amiable ! To make it reign every- 
where, and principally in our hearts will 
be the object of our efforts, our happiness 
and glory, as well as the last word of our 
meditation. No other disposition would 






197 



be better able to close the audience, mark 
the fruit of meditation , and procure the 
glory of God the Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, to which none has contributed 
more than the Immaculate Virgin Mary. 
300. These various thoughts are com- 
prised in the following prayers which 
constitute the ordinary termination of 
our meditations: 



OREMUS. 

Defers de, qusesumus, Do- 
mine, beata Maria semper 
Virgineintercedente, istam 
ab omni adversitate fami- 
liam, et to to corde tibi pro- 
stratam ab hostium propiti- 
us tuere clementer insidi- 
is. Per Christum Doniium 
nostrum. Amen. 



Cor Jesn, flagrans amore 
nostri, inflamma cor nos- 
trum amore tui. 

Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei 
Genitrix; ut digni efficia- 
mur promissionibus Chri- 
sti. 



PRAYER. 

Defend, we beseech thee, 
O Lord, by the interces- 
sion of the blessed Mary 
ever Virgin, this thy fami- 
ly from all adversity; and 
mercifully protect us, now 
prostrate before thee with 
our whole hearts from all 
the snares of our enemies. 
Through Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

O Heart of Jesus burning 
with love for us. Inflame 
our hearts with love for 
thee. 

Pray for us, O Holy Moth- 
er of God. That we may be 
made worthy of the prom- 
ises of Christ. 



— 198 — 



Ora pro nobis, sancte Pa- 
ter Joseph; ut digni effici- 
amur promissionibus Chri- 
st] . 

Fiat, laudetur atque in 
aeteriium superexaltetur 
justissima, altissima et a- 
mabilissima voluntas Dei 
in omnibus. 

Pater et Filius et Spiritus 
Sanctus ubique glorificen- 
tur per Immaculatam Vir- 
ginem Mariam! 



Pray for us, O Holy Fa- 
ther Joseph. That we may 
be made worthy of the 
promises of Christ. 

The most just, most high, 
and most amiable will of 
God be done, praised, and 
eternally exalted in all 
things. 

May the Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost be glorified in 
all places by the immacu- 
late Virgin Mary. 




CHAPTEE XIII. 



how to proceed, when the subject of 
the Meditation is a Fact, instead 
of being a Truth. 



301. In the foregoing explanations we 
have habitually supposed the subject of 
meditation to be a moral truth. But the 
directions we have given, apply as well to 
meditation when the subject is a fact, for 
example, an action or an entire event in 
the life of our Lord, of the Blessed Virgin, 
or the saints, or a mystery of our holy re- 
ligion; or when the subject is a mixed 
one, i. .e., when it comprises at once a 
truth and a fact; as, death, judgment, etc. 

302. This last case is the most frequent 
one, since, according to a remark of St. 
Augustine, all the actions in the life of our 
Savior,and let us add, in the history of the 
Church, teach a lesson, just as the words 
teach a fact. On this account, in most of 



— 200 — 

the meditations, the truths are connected 
with facts, and the facts always contain 
an instruction; thence it follows, that the 
considerations are suggested by the ex- 
amination of facts as well as by the study 
ol truths. 

303. The process is therefore always 
the same; it would then not be necessary, 
it would hardly be useful, to add here 
some remarks. Thus you will perceive, 
during the course of the meditation, when 
and at what parts, it is proper and natu- 
ral to have recourse to what is called the 
application of the senses, especially of the 
sight and hearing. With the imagination, 
figure yourself beholding the scene, the 
place, the persons ; listening to their words, 
to their discourse; assisting at what they 
do, or suffer, etc. Then put questions, 
and study the circumstances as if it con- 
cerned a truth, following the method al- 
ready traced out. In this manner the 
facts give rise to thoughts, reflections, ex- 
aminations in order to know better what 
we are or ought to be; these are precisely 
the considerations. 



201 



304. As to the other parts, the affec- 
tions the resolutions, and the conclusion, 
they are identical. There is therefore no 
reason to delay any longer in tracing 
such shades as are scarcely noticeable in 
theory by an acute observer, but whose 
distinction is without application in 
practice. 




CHAPTER XIV. 



HOW TO PROCEED IN THE EXERCISE CALLED 
MIXED MENTAL PRAYER. 



305. The mixed mental prayer is, as 
its name implies, at once oral and mental 
prayer. It may be considered as a read- 
ing or vocal prayer interrupted for a less- 
er or greater length of time by mental 
prayer, or as a mental prayer drawing its 
inspiration more or less from a book or a 
text of vocal prayer. 

306. The subject of mental prayer is 
chosen either from a book; as, the Holy 
Scriptures, especially the psalms and the 
Gospel, the Imitation of Jesus Christ, the 
Spiritual Combat, the Constitutions, the 
Circulars, the book of Spiritual reading, 
the book of meditations, etc. ; or from some 
formula of vocal prayer; as, the Pater, A- 
ve, Gloria Patri, Litanies, etc. St. Fran- 
cis of Assisi recited the Lord's prayer 



203 



with particular devotion, pondering on 
the words, and meditating on the sense 
they contained; he even composed a para- 
phrase on it. The versicle Gloria Patri 
made likewise a most lively impression on 
his soul, and formed one of his fervent as- 
pirations; he repeated it frequently and 
counseled it to others. A lay-brother, 
who was much tempted to devote himself 
to study, came to ask his permission for 
that purpose, "My dear Brother," the 
saint said to him, learn the Gloria Patri, 
often repeat this doxology, and you will 
become wise in the sight of God." The 
Brother obeyed; and, in a short time, he 
made rapid progress in the spiritual life, 
and was no longer tempted to study. 
Lastly, the ordinary prayers of the Chris- 
tian and religious, morning and night- 
prayers, the office, the prayers which pre- 
cede or follow the exercises, etc., may fur- 
nish excellent texts for mixed mental 
prayer; at the same time, the meditation 
on these subjects will singularly help us 
to recite these daily vocal prayers with 
devotion, and not through mere routine. 



204 



307. The thoughts and facts furnished 
by these formulas which are known by 
heart, or which we read from a book, con- 
stitute the subjects of meditation. Eead 
or recite a first thought; if necessary, re- 
peat it in order to understand it the better; 
then stop and make the ordinary acts: the 
considerations, affections and resolutions, 
according to the method above indicated. 
The processes are absolutely the same. 

308. Then you will pass on to a second, a 
third thought, and so on; i. e. read or re- 
cite that which furnishes matter for a sec- 
ond, a third thought. Pause whenever you 
feel yourself moved, and as long as the at- 
tention of your mind and the attraction 
of grace usefully retain you thereat. 

309. Under this form, "meditation is 
like him that inhales the odor of the pink, 
rose, rosemary, thyme, jessamine, orange 
flower, distinctly one after another. 
Make use of a book, when your mind be- 
comes tired; i. e. read a little, and then 
meditate, read again a little and then med- 
itate, and continue thus until the end of 
your half hour. Mother Teresa made use 



— 205 — 

of this process in the beginning, and said 
that she found it very good. I too have 
tried it, and derived much benefit from 
it." (St. Francis of Sales.) 

310. We can not err in following St. 
Teresa and St. Francis of Sales. Listen 
again to another distinguished master, St. 
Alphonsus of Liguori: "Whenever mental 
prayer is made in private, it is always 
good to make use of a meditation-book. 
(This saint explains elsewhere that, by a 
meditation-book, he means pious books, 
such as the Lives of the Saints, the Way 
of Salvation, etc.) Pause at the most 
moving passages, without endeavoring to 
read the whole meditation. St. Francis of 
Sales sa} s that in this we must imitate 
the bees, which keep to one flower as long 
as they find any honey to be extracted, 
and then wing their flight to another. St. 
Teresa followed this method for seventeen 
years; she used to read a little, then med- 
itated for some time." St. Philip of Neri 
also told beginners to make use of a pious 
book, especially the Lives of saints; but 
he added, that one ous;ht not to read out 



— 206 — 

of curiosity and eagerness, but stop at e&ch 
thought. 

311. In the mixed mental prayer, there 
is a danger, against which it is necessary 
to be forewarned, because we are naturally 
drawn thereto: we must take care that 
mental prayer does not change into a con- 
tinuous vocal prayer, or into a mere spir- 
itual reading, or a religious study, or even 
a reading of pious curiosity-; we would 
thus deprive ourselves of the advantages 
of mental prayer. 

312. Spiritual reading possesses much 
affinit}' with mental prayer, especially if 
made with reflection ; both constitute an 
interview with God. But, according to a 
remark of St. Augustine, "when we read, 
God speaks to us, when we pray, we 
speak to God. Oratio est locutio ad Deum; 
quando enim legis, tibi loquitur Deus: quan- 
do oras, cum Deo loqueris. Spiritual read- 
ing is not mental prayer itself, but a sub- 
stantial element of this exercise; because 
it furnishes pious thoughts, produces holy 
affections, and suggests good resolutions. 

313. This truth is, to a greater extent, 



— 207 — 

applicable to the mixed mental prayer; 
reading and prayer combined so as to 
keep up our attention, without, however, 
proving an obstacle to that interior and 
personal labor, which is the basis of every 
mental prayer. 




CHAPTER XV. 
How Mental Prayer may be combined 

WITH OTHER EXERCISES OF PIETY. 

314. "The method teaches, how mental 
prayer, animated by faith, can advanta- 
geously be reconciled with other exercis- 
es, such as the benediction with the bless- 
ed Sacrament, an instruction, the Way of 
the Cross, etc. Mental prayer is not re- 
placed by these exercises; it is merely 
practiced in a peculiar form." (Const. 
S. M.) After the explanations contained 
in this Guide, you will hardly be embar- 
rassed in the practice of meditation under 
sluj of these special forms. It will suffice 
to say in a few words what each one would 
do of his own accord, without any new in- 
dication, by follow ing in all simplicity 
the way and the rules we have just 
traced out. 

315. Before these exercises, which are 
to serve you for your mental prayer, 
make, at least in substance and very brief- 



— 209 — 

ly, the acts which regularly precede every 
mental prayer, and constitute its prepara- 
tion and introduction. Say these prayers 
as far as circumstances will permit. Of- 
ten you can dispose but of very short mo- 
ments; yet these acts may be restricted as 
well as extended: if you can dispose but 
of one minute, do so, and God will bless 
this mark of good will. 

316. During the exercise itself, whatev- 
er it be, act, as much as possible, as in 
the mixed meditation ; frequently you will 
find it useful to call on faith and to multi- 
ply your acts of faith. With reference to 
what you will see, hear, and remark, it 
will be easy for you, to draw from your- 
self some acts, which may constitute the 
considerations, affections, and resolutions. 
The essential thing is, that these acts ema- 
nate from yourself, and be the spontaneous 
expression of what your soul thinks, feels, 
and desires. Under these circumstances, 
mental prayer may become remarkable 
for the fruit it bears, and by the ease which 
distinguishes it from every other kind of 
meditation. 

guide. 14 



210 



317. Furthermore, let us develop these 
indications, by taking as examples the ex- 
ercises mentioned above (art. 314), because 
they are of the number which most easily 
combine with mental prayer. 

Is there an exercise more proper to fa- 
cilitate the feeling of the presence of God, 
the expression of our homage, the account 
of our necessities and requests, the inti- 
mate and prolonged interview w T ith our 
Lord, and this with greater ease, than the 
benediction with the Blessed Sacrament, 
where our Lord leaves his retirement to 
place himself at our disposal under visible 
appearances. It is a most solemn audi- 
ence, to which we are admitted, where he 
reserves for us the most signal favors. 
Now the acts of faith, as well as the com- 
plementary acts, are imposed, as it were, 
when you find yourself in presence of this 
august Sacrament, which the Church calls 
the mystery of faith, mysterium fidei. 

318. The colloquy will be preferably 
held with the adorable person of our 
sw T eet Savior. You mav choose the sub- 
ject according to the rules of the method, 



211 



or 3^011 may adhere to the mixed medita- 
tion by taking part in the chant and li- 
turgical prayers. You will likewise find 
very appropriate subjects in the Office of 
the Blessed Sacrament, in the fourth book 
of the Imitation of Jesus Christ, in the 
Visits and other opuscules of St. Alphon- 
sus of Liguori, in the Litany of the Holy 
Name of Jesus. 

319. Every visit to the Most Blessed 
Sacrament is, in its object and end, a di- 
vine audience, and consequently, a men- 
tal prayer, whatever be the duration or 
frequency of these visits To present our- 
selves before God, without rendering him 
the homage due to his infinite majesty, 
would be an indignity; now the acts of 
this homage constitute a true mental 
prayer; they comprise at least an act of 
adoration and of petition, which may be 
thus expressed: "My Jesus, present upon 
this altar, I adore thee with the angels 
who surround thy throne; bless me be- 
fore I retire, to go whither duty calls 
me." It the visit be prolonged, divers 
acts are made, according to the directions 



- 212 - 

given in art. 135 and seq. A book or a 
formula may be used, or we may seek in- 
spirations from the circumstances of the 
moment, according to the necessities of 
our soul; but especially should we multi- 
ply the petitions, recalling to mind some 
texts of the Gospel, whether spoken by 
our divine Master, or only addressed to 
him: "Magister ad est, et vocat te; the 
Master is here, and calls thee." (St. John 
xi, 28.) "Ego vobiscum sum omnibus die- 
bus usque ad consummationem sceculi; I am 
with you all days, even to the con- 
summation of the world. " (Matt, xxvm, 
20.) " Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis et 
onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos; corne to 
me all you that labor, and are heavy la- 
den,aod I will refresh you. " (Matt. xi. 28.) 
"Non est opus valentibus medicus, sed male 
habentibus; they that are in health need 
not a physician, but they that are sick." 
(Matt, ix, 12.) "Domine, ecce quern infirm- 
atur; Lord, behold he whom thou lovest 
is sick." (St. John xi, 3.) tl Inftrmitas hcec 
non est ad mortem; this sickness is not un- 
to death." (St. John xi,4.) 



213 



320. Is there an exercise which speaks 
more eloquently to our soul, which moves 
more vividly her deepest recesses, which 
more completely employs all her faculties, 
than the exercise of the Way of the Cross? 
Where could you find a richer source of 
pious considerations, a more ardent fur- 
nace for holy affections, lastly, stronger 
motives for suggesting and strengthening 
the best resolutions? There you have a 
resume of the greatest truths of our holy 
religion, a representation of the most stir- 
ring events, and the most eloquent exam- 
ple of all virtues. It is therefore not sur- 
prising to learn that the Passion of our 
Lord is the subject most universally chos- 
en for meditation, and the one most high- 
ly esteemed by the saints. 

321. To sustain the attention, you 
may sometimes make use of a book, but 
do not neglect to make your own consid- 
erations. When the exercise of the Way 
of the Cross is done in community, the 
reading of the considerations becomes nec- 
essary; but this reading should be done 
slowly, that the affections may find time 



214 



to develop themselves. It is also proper 
to prepare the soul for these meditations 
by procuring her from time to time the 
food of a spiritual reading on the Passion 
of our Lord. 

322. The method pointed out in art. 
189, which consists in asking a series of 
questions: Who has suffered? What has 
he suffered? For whom? Why? How, etc., 
produces excellent results in the consider- 
ations of the Way of the Cross. 

323. Where are we placed in a better 
condition to converse with Almighty God,, 
than in a reunion, where God speaks to us 
through the mouth of one of his ministers 
or representatives? Is it not enough to 
recall to mind what faith teaches about 
the excellence of the word of God, in or- 
der to listen attentively, to produce acts 
of adherence to what is said to us, to ap- 
ply it to ourselves, to multiply with ra- 
pidity, even during the course of the in- 
struction, acts of petition, thanks, and hu- 
mility? 

324. There exists no exercise of piety 
more easily transformed into a fervent 



— 215 — 

mental prayer than holy Mass. This ho- 
ly sacrifice, is, by nature, the solemn 
prayer, the liturgical act by excellence. 
It becomes the best meditation for each 
of us in particular, provided we assist 
thereat with lively faith. 

325. What is holy Mass? It is according 
to Faith, Jesus Christ himself, who prays 
on our altars, semper vivens ad interpellan- 
dum pro nobis. (Hebr.-vn, 25,) He is our 
suppliant with his Father, he offered his 
life, death, body and blood for us. "With 
his prayer, he unites the prayer of the 
celebrant, as well as the prayers of those 
who assist at the Sacrifice; there is, in 
truth, but one priest, but one sacrificer, 
and, consequently, but one prayer. Thus 
our Lord makes as his own our prayers, 
intentions, petitions, invocations, in a 
word, all our acts of mental prayer pro- 
duced during Mass. 

326. Never does our Savior find our 
petitions too great, too numerous, as we 
cannot ask for more than he has already 
given us, since he has given himself to us 
in holj- Mass. But he rectifies our peti- 



— 216 — 

tions, cleanses them from their imperfec- 
tions, and covers them with his merits, 
that they may be surely heard; for thou 
hearest me always, semper me audis. 
(St John xi, 42.) 

327. What wonderful things we shall 
discover in this adorable sacrifice, when 
the veils which cover it, and make it a 
"mystery of faith, mysterium fidei, shall 
have fallen! Already at present, we can 
catch sight of these wonders in a more a- 
bundant lighten proportion as we consid- 
er them more attentively by the light of 
faith, i. e. by the prayer of faith. How 
this prayer of faith will be powerful in 
giving rise to affections, producing admi- 
ration and gratitude, and leading us to the 
prayer of supplication and of union with 
God! Even the prayers of the Missal and 
especially those of the canon of the Mass, 
contain incomparable supplications. Try 
to take them sometimes as subjects of 
mixed mental prayer. 

328. But the incomparable prayer, the 
prayer unique of this kind, is the prayer 
which is joined with holy Communion. 



— 217 — 

If there is on earth a meeting of man 
with God, a divine audience, where could 
it be found more complete than in holy 
Communion? Could we even desire or 
imagine a more propitious occasion, a 
more favorable time for mental prayer, 
than those moments which precede and 
those which follow holy Communion? 
Who would dare to approach the holy 
Table, without, at the same time, making 
mental prayer, i. e. without reflecting 
piously about this act? God gives himself 
to the soul, the soul receives her God: be- 
hold a spectacle worthy of the admiration 
of the Angels. We ought to foil into de- 
lightful raptures at the view of this ineffa- 
ble condescension of God, if we had faith 
like a mustard seed. Let us, therefore, 
interrogate faith ; let us meditate on the 
answers given by faith to the questions 
enumerated in art. 207. Who is coming 
to me? To whom is he coming? Why? 
How? What must I do? How must I re- 
ceive him? What shall I ask? What shall 
I promise? What shall I expect? 

329. Conformably to preceding recom- 



— 218 — 

mendations, entertain yourself first With 
the most holy Virgin, with the angels 
and saints, who should assist you in the 
preparation and thanksgiving. Then ad- 
dress yourself to our Lord (art. 240 and 
seq.); speak to him, he is there, he is before 
you, he is within you, he is but one with 
you. If you make use of a book for the 
acts before and after holy Communion, 
read slowly, and make of the reading a 
mixed mental prayer. 

330. Just as the preparatory acts are 
of great importance in this kind of men- 
tal prayer, so too, you would deprive 
yourself of the greatest advantages of this 
exercise, if you were to neglect the acts 
of the conclusion. By these last you sup- 
ply what is wanting in the considerations, 
affections, and resolutions which you had 
not the time to produce properly during 
the course of the exercise, and thus se- 
cure to yourself the fruits you are to de- 
rive therefrom. Besides no excuse could 
be admitted here: nothing can prevent 
you from finding a few minutes to 
make these acts, if not immediately af- 



— 219 — 

ter the instruction or other exercise, 
whatever it may be, at least in the course 
of the day. 




CHAPTER XVI. 

HOW AND WHY THE EXAMINATION OF 
MENTAL PRAYER IS MADE. 

331. Souls that take their progress in 
mental prayer to heart, do not fail to make 
regularly their daily examination of this 
exercise. This examination is, in some 
way, an integral part of mental prayer, as 
the proof of a scientific solution is a part 
of the operation, if one wishes to be sure 
whether it be correct or faulty. 

332. It may be affirmed that it is im- 
possible to make the daily examination on 
mental prayer without becoming men of 
mental prayer; nay, it is the shortest way 
for arriving at this end. 

333. It is necessary to fix a time for 
this examination, for example, several 
minutes of the time devoted to the partic- 
ular examination. 

334. As mental prayer is made under 
the protection of the guardian angel, it is 



— 221 — 

advisable to beg our guardian angel to as- 
sist us in this complementary work. 

335. The examination comprises all the 
parts of mental prayer, the ensemble and 
the details ; but for one day, or for one 
week lay special stress on such acts, or 
on this point, then on another. 

336. Never omit to question yourself 
on the various preparations; and in order 
to guide 3'ou in the discovery of your 
faults, peruse what we have already said 
on this point. Observe the same for the 
considerations, affections and resolutions. 
Never fail to examine yourself on the 
special or principal resolution. 

337. Nothing is more useful than to 
direct your attention to the ordinary de- 
fect of your mental prayer, as also to the 
special defect of your last meditation, that 
you may avoid it next time. 

338. We recommend the infliction of a 
penance for the ensemble of the faults as- 
certained, and for every fault grievous in 
itself, in its consequences, or circumstan- 
ces. One profitable penance would consist 
in resuming every meditation, in which 



999 

there has been too much negligence; for 
this we should choose the first leisure mo- 
ments. Experience proves that this rem- 
edy is very efficacious, although the new 
meditation were to last but five minutes. 
339. Another excellent means to aid 
us in making our meditation well, is to 
keep an account of it in writing, with a 
personal estimate of the exercise. This 
account should be short; not to make it 
brief, would be exposing ourselves often 
to forget it, and soon to neglect it alto- 
gether. It will be a great assurance to 
you that you will persevere in this prac- 
tice, if you submit your account to your 
director. It is likewise advantageous to 
enter into a memorandum-book, immedi- 
ately after meditation, the thoughts, sen- 
timents, and resolutions which have made 
an impression on you; by putting them in 
writing, we come to understand and re- 
tain them better. In after-life, these 
notes are perused with great profit and 
even with pleasure: the soul experiences 
that which we feel when meeting again 
with old acquaintances. 



223 



340. We here give a resume of the 
most ordinary questions in the examina- 
tion of mental prayer; each one will mod- 
ify the questions, according as it con- 
cerns the daily or monthly examination. 
In the monthly examination, we endeavor 
to know rather our habitual dispositions 
than our faults; in this it differs from the 
daily examination. To arrive at a satis- 
factory result, it is not necessary to ex- 
amine ourselves thoroughly on each of 
these questions, if time does not allow; it 
suffices to dwell more seriously, sometimes 
on one, sometimes on another of these 
points. The essential thing is to make a 
brief examination each day, and a com- 
plete one each month. 

341. Here follow the points on which 
it is useful to question ourselves : 

i. Have I advanced or retrograded in 
what concerns the remote preparation: con- 
trol over myself and my passions, struggle 
against sin, against every irregular allure- 
ment: dissipation, carelessness, pride, sen- 
suality, silence, recollection, vigilance, 
remembrance of the presence of God, 



224 



practice of ejaculatory prayers, and' es- 
teem for mental prayer? 

2. How do I perform the proximate 
preparation: choice of subject and fruit to 
be derived therefrom, exactness, and re- 
spectful bearing? 

3. How do I habitually make the vari- 
ous acts of the immediate preparation: in- 
vocation of the Holy Ghost, representa- 
tion of the subject, recommendation to the 
guardian angel, recourse to the most holy 
Virgin, to St. Joseph, and to my holy Pa- 
trons ; acts of faith in the presence of God, 
and other complementary acts of faith? 

4. Have I endeavored to make the 
prayer of faith by repeated acts of faith in 
the presence and word of God, by interro- 
gating and listening to Faith, i. e. to God, 
to his doctrine, to his Gospel, to his 
Church, to his saints, to my rales, in or- 
der to conform m} 7 thoughts, judgments, 
words, and actions to them? 

5. Have I applied myself to the prayer 
of meditation or considerations, by endeav- 
oring to penetrate myself with the lessons 
conveyed by the truth, or the fact on 



— 225 — 

which I am meditating? Have these con- 
siderations produced a salutary impres- 
sion on my soul? 

6. Have 1 applied myself to the prayer 
of supplication, or affections, especially to 
thp invocations suggested by the medita- 
tion on the subject or by the needs of 
my soul? 

7. Have I applied myself to the prayer 
of union,or of conformity to the will of God, 
by taking resolutions calculated to con- 
duct my soul to such dispositions and to 
strengthen her therein? Have I taken an 
efficacious resolution to gain a decisive 
victory over a special fault, or to advance 
in a particular virtue? Have [ renewed it 
in every meditation, until success was 
complete, or at least satisfactory? How far 
am I in this work? Why have I not kept 
my resolutions? What must I do to re- 
move the cause of these faults? 

8. Which is the saddest defect of my 
last meditation, and which are the prin- 
cipal or the ordinary difficulties during my 
meditations? What is the cause thereof, 
and what have I to do to remove this 

guide. 15 



226 



cause forever? 

9. Do 1, during meditation, endeavor 
to awaken in myself, and keep up senti- 
ments of humility and confidence in prefer- 
ence to all other sentiments? Impressed 
with these sentiments, do I apply myself 
to increase the acts of humility and the in- 
vocations, whenever I am reduced to pow- 
erlessness, or have difficulties to encoun- 
ter? 

10. How do I habitually make the 
acts of the conclusion, and how do I spend 
the first moments after mental prayer? 

11. Am I convinced that the time of 
mental prayer is the time most usefully 
employed, even for succeeding in the func- 
tions of my charge and for promoting the 
true interests of the works and of the 
persons entrusted to my responsibilty? 

12. 1 must at any cost become a man 
of meditation! Am I well convinced that 
such is the will of God in my regard? Do 
I really believe that meditation is an ea- 
sy exercise, not beyond my capacity, that 
I can and ought to succeed in it? To what 
must I, in consequence, apply myself dur- 



227 



ing the coming month, or in my next 
meditation ? 

13. How is it that, after so many 
months and years, L am still so far being 
a man of meditation? Why am I so easi- 
ly induced to perform mental prayer with 
negligence, to lose so many and such pre- 
cious moments during this holy exercise, 
and to languish thus, perhaps, until 
death? 

14. Against which defect or towards 
what point must I direct my principal ef- 
forts? What does God require of me, that 
I may become, with his grace, a man of 
prayer? 







CHAPTER XVII. 

Why God permits us to encounter dif- 
ficulties DURING MENTAL PRAYER. — 

Which are the ordinary difficul- 
ties AND HOW WE CAN TRIUMPH OVER 
THEM. 

342. A true guide is not satisfied with 
showing the way : he forewarns the trav- 
eler against dangers, strengthens him a- 
gainst obstacles and fatigues, and defends 
him against enemies ; in short, he tries to 
make the route sure and easy. Our work 
would be incomplete, were we not to 
speak of the dangers encountered on the 
way; we could even be accused of inac- 
curacy, because we have so often affirmed 
that the road is sure and easy, and that it 
suffices for each one to will, in order to 
arrive infallibly at the term, i. e. to be- 
come a man of prayer. 

343. Well then, let us boldly affirm, 
mental prayer has its difficulties and fa- 



— 229 — 

tigues, not only like every physical, mor- 
al and intellectual labor, but also, and es- 
pecially, because it is the source of the 
greatest blessings. The enemy of God, 
who is also our enemy, knows it, and he 
does not forget it; he omits nothing that 
can prevent us from becoming men of 
prayer. 

344. "The demon knows, that when the 
soul applies herself to mental prayer with 
perseverance, she is lost for him," says St. 
Teresa. He profits, therefore, without ev- 
er being discouraged, of the permission 
given him by God to tempt us; he has an 
implacable hatred against the man of med- 
itation, as he had against Job. It is es- 
pecially during meditation that he is go- 
ing about us, like a roaring lion, trying at 
least to prevent us from prayer: "Adver- 
sarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens, 
circuit qucerens quern devoret^(l Peter v, 8.) 

345. He is on the look-out, he knows 
from what side he can attack us most se- 
curely: fickleness of our spirit and imagi- 
nation, subjection to the senses, allure- 
ments of the heart, weakness of th^ will, 



— 230 — 

discouragement caused by want of success: 
he takes advantage of everything that 
mental prayer may bear no fruit, and that 
finally we may become disgusted with it. 

846. It is with the difficulties in men- 
tal prayer like with every other tempta- 
tion ; they are unavoidable but useful. 
"Fili, aceedens ad servitutem Dei, sta in ju- 
stitia, et timore, et prcepara animam tuam 
ad tentationem. Son, when thou comestto 
the service of God, stand in justice and 
fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation." 
(Ecclus. ii, 1.) "Qui non est tentatus, quid 
scitf what doth he know, that hath not 
been tried?" (Ecclus. xxxiv, 9.) "Quia 
acceptus eras Deo, necesse fuit ut tentatio 
proharet te; because thou wast acceptable 
to God, it was necessary that temptation 
should prove thee. 7 ' (Tobias xn, 13.) 
What is said of Tobias, is also said of A- 
braham, the patriarchs, the apostles, and, 
in general, of all the saints. 

347. Distractions, dryness, and other 
difficulties which we encounter in medita- 
tion, are useful and even necessary to 
maintain us in humility, to insure our 



231 



progress, to prevent us from falling, and 
to preserve the merits we have already ac- 
quired. '-It is in dryness that we profit 
most," says St. Alphonsus of Liguori. 

348. Let us enter into some details. 
Obstacles in prayer are ordinarily classi- 
fied under three heads : distractions, dry- 
ness, and illusions. Some only of the rem- 
edies used against these evils, are spe- 
cial for one of these maladies; most of 
them are, however, efficacious against all 
three. 

349. We call distraction every inatten- 
tion of the soul to the subject which ought 
to occupy her; as the word indicates it, 
the distracted soul is drawn far from the 
subject with which she wished or ought 
to busy herself. 

350. All distractions may be classed 
in two categories: those that are volunta- 
ry, and those that are involuntary. We 
need not give ourselves any pains about 
the involuntary distractions, because they 
do not render us culpable, norare they inju- 
rious, as long as they remain involuntary. 
Now, they are involuntary as long as we 



232 



are not aware of them. As soon as they 
are perceived, we must combat them as 
voluntary distractions. 

351. Distractions may be voluntary in 
different ways and degrees: in themselves 
and their causes, on account of the neg- 
ligence in banishing them, etc. 

352. One thing is always in your pow- 
er; it is to commence well, i. e. to think of 
what you are going to do. At the begin- 
ning of each action, you must take care 
to direct your intention. If you proceed 
thus in your mental prayer, says St. 
Thomas, you will assure to yourself the 
principal fruits of every well-made prayer. 
If, besides, you are careful to keep your- 
self in the presence of God, by doing noth- 
ing that recalls your first intention, you 
remain, in consequence of a virtual inten- 
tion, under the salutary influence of 
grace; God communicates himself to you, 
and like a wholesome nourishment, he 
penetrates and endows you with super- 
natural strength. 

353. The general cause of our distrac- 
tions is levity, inconstancy, restlessness, 



233 



in a word, dissipation of the mind. At- 
tention was already called to this fault in 
the remote preparation treated of in art. 
98; it is so serious, however, that we 
judge it useful again to insist on the fact 
that it is impossible to change a dissipa- 
ted man into a man of meditation. A dis- 
sipated man is compared to a fortress 
whose keepers amuse themselves, and are 
diverted from their duty by every object 
that presents itself. Thus the dissipated 
soul is open to all comers', she is enticed 
successively to the right and to the left, to 
a distance, to every side, by the impression 
of the senses, by the wanderings of the 
imagination, by the passions of the heart, 
by seductions of every kind ; she no lon- 
ger belongs to herself, she has no control 
over her faculties. 

354. How could she be able, under 
such circumstances, to recollect herself in 
order to converse with God, to make men- 
tal prayer? Can she even know what she 
desires, whither she is going, what she is 
doing? Can she stop at the considera- 
tions which would throw some light up- 



— 234 — 

on her state? In the parable of the sower, 
the dissipated soul is compared to a high- 
way; the seed which falls thereon re- 
mains on the surface and is immediately 
carried away or trodden under foot; it can- 
not even begin to take root. None can 
therefore accuse of exaggeration those who 
affirm that dissipation is frequently more 
dangerous than sin itself. In reality, the 
sinner can enter into himself, the dissi- 
pated man cannot, he is powerless for 
meditation, and remains a prey to the 
most dangerous illusions. If you discov- 
er in yourself this serious malady, have 
recourse, from this very day, to the reme- 
dies which ought to effect the cure. 

355. In order to root out this evil, we 
must attack the causes that produce it. 
We will just enumerate the ordinary cau- 
ses, leaving to each one the care of com- 
bating those from which he suffers. A 
natural predisposition, freedom of the im- 
agination, predominating empire of the 
senses, an indifference which does not 
take the trouble to govern itself, the hab- 
it of treating every thing with lightness, 



— 235 — 

of being continually absent-minded, of 
giving one's self to every body and every 
thing, that eagerness for affairs which do 
not concern us, even the ill-regulated de- 
sires for the holiest works of supereroga- 
tion; then the immoderate attachment to 
some occupation, too tender an affection 
for creatures, the curiosity that wants to 
see, visit, hear, know, read everything: 
books, newspapers, reviews, novels; last- 
ly, and particularly, intemperance of 
speech: behold what produces, keeps up, 
and develops dissipation, a fault as incom- 
patible with mental prayer, as motion is 
irreconcilable with rest. 

356. Commence the warfare, be piti- 
less towards yourself; do not cease to 
struggle until you are completely victori- 
ous; and if you will believe me, direct 
your first efforts against your habitual in- 
fractions of silence; for, without silence, 
there is no recollection, and without rec- 
ollection, no mental prayer. 

357. It is evident, that he who does 
not struggle against these causes, will 
never make meditation well; it is also evi- 



236 



dent, that he who is faithful to the rules 
of preparation, thereby removes all these 
causes. As we have already said, the 
chief, if not the only cause why there are 
so few men of prayer, is the want of prep- 
aration. Look therefore on the prepara- 
tion as an integral part of meditation. Is 
it not what the Holy Spirit wished to 
communicate, in addressing to us this rec- 
ommendation: "Ante orationem prcepara 
animam; before prayer prepare thy soul." 
(Ecclus. xviii, 23.) 

358. In removing the causes, the prep- 
aration takes away most of the distractions; 
but it does not remove all of them, be- 
cause as, after Cassian,.St. Alphonsus of 
Liguori says, "it is impossible for our mind 
to apply itself to meditation without 
having any distractions." 

359. We are not answerable for these 
distractions until we are aware of them; 
but it is then also that they can be disa- 
vowed by our mind, repelled by our heart, 
and combated by our will. 

360. The battle is changed immediate- 
ly into victory, if you have recourse to an 



— 237 — 

act of faith in the presence of God, fol- 
lowed by acts of humility, of supplication, 
or by ejaculatory prayers. 

361. If all the time were employed in 
these acts, mental prayer would not be 
defective; but as soon as you feel yourself 
in the normal state, take up the subject 
where the distraction made you lose sight 
of it. And if renewed distractions oblige 
you thus to come back on yourself five, 
ten, twenty times,do not become impatient 
on that account; return twenty times to 
the same acts, and you will make great 
progress in meditation. This is the pray- 
er of patience, of which St. Francis of 
Sales spoke thus to one of his religious 
daughters: "Never, my child, have you 
made such a good prayer." 

362. Listen again to the sweet St. 
Francis of Sales on the same subject: "If 
you are troubled with distractions, make 
the prayer of patience and humility. Be- 
seech Almighty God to be your support, 
to give you a desire to love him, to pray 
to him, and other similar things. When 
your heart wanders or is distracted, lead 



— 238— 

it gently back to its point, place it back 
tenderly near its Master. If you were to 
do nothing else during the whole time, 
than very graciously taking your heart 
back and placing it near our Lord; al- 
though it would as many times wander as 
you had led it back, the time would be 
well employed, and you would perform an 
exercise very agreeable to your dear 
Spouse." 

363. You may also have recourse to 
some exterior means: look at the crucifix, 
the tabernacle, at an image of the most 
holy Virgin; take a book, say some vocal 
prayers, repeat some ejaculatory prayers. 
But proceed always gently, do not get in- 
to a passion, and do not lose confidence. 
Cui resistite in fide; withstand the enemy 
with a confidence inspired by faith. "In 
omnibus sumentes scutum fidei, in quo possi- 
tis omnia tela nequissimi ignea exstinguere; 
in all things take the shield of faith, where- 
with you may be able to extinguish all 
the fiery darts of the most wicked one." 
(Eph. vi, 16.) Yes, trust in God, in his 
goodness, his power, his promises, and his 



239 



designs upon you. He wants you to be- 
come a man of prayer, therefore you will 
be it. In God's mind, the difficulties 
which he permits, are in your favor, and 
not against you. 

364. Therefore, I beseech you, never to 
lay down your arms, never to lose cour- 
age, either to let the distractions take pos- 
session of the ground in all freedom or to 
abandon the exercise of mental prayer. 
Nothing is more offensive to God and 
more detrimental to the soul than discour- 
agement; it is, towards God, a lack of 
faith and confidence, a defect to which the 
Divine Master attributes the want of suc- 
cess in our prayers; on our part, it shows 
a want of humility, at least, a commence- 
ment of pride. To abandon mental pray- 
er for such motives, is to throw ourselves 
into the arms of our mortal enemy. Thus, 
never give way to discouragement; in any 
condition, the prayer of faith, of the pres- 
ence of God, and of supplication b}^ means 
of ejaculatory prayers is easy. (See art. 
248.) Only the demons and the damned 
lie under an impossibility of praying, for 



210 



if they could pray they would be saved. 

365. It happens sometimes that the 
soul resembles a dry and arid desert bear- 
ing no fruit, giving no sign of life and 
vegetation ; there exists a complete barren- 
ness. We call dryness or aridity that state 
of the soul, in which she finds herself ster- 
ile or unable to produce the acts of men- 
tal prayer. Between absolute sterility 
and the mere difficulty of performing all 
the acts of mental prayer in a proper man- 
ner, there are very many degrees. 

366. What has been said of distrac- 
tions, may be said of the state of dryness; 
it is either voluntary or involuntary. Vol- 
untary dryness should, like voluntary dis- 
tractions, be combated above all in its 
cause, by fidelity to the remote prepara- 
tion. Pride, egotism, sensuality, want of 
simplicity in obedience, cunning, worldty 
policy in our way of acting, are frequent 
causes of aridity in mental prayer. "You 
will not be simple and artless as a little 
child, you shall therefore not get the 
sweetmeats of a little child." (St. Francis 
of Sales.) 



—241 — 

367. Then the state of sterility should 
be combated by a direct struggle during 
the meditation itself; i. e. by acts of faith 
in the presence and other attributes of 
God, but especially by acts of humility, 
confidence, and supplication, (art. 235 and 
seq.) Even if these acts should not seem 
to us to come from the heart, but to be 
restricted to a mere movement of the lips 
and mouth, they would suffice for us to 
constitute a state of prayer. If it grieves 
us to b« in such a state, we make, accord- 
ing to St. Augustine, an excellent prayer: 
quia si vel hoc dolemus. jam or emus. 

368. Besides the state of dryness is 
frequently prolonged without any fault of 
ours; here, as in the physical order, it is 
not in our power to produce rain for the 
refreshment of the soil, whenever we wish. 
We must then be resigned, for it is a 
most painful trial, and }^et experience 
proves, that God does not exempt his best 
friends and servants from it; proof there- 
of is a St. Teresa, a St. Ignatius, a St. 
Francis of Sales, a St, Alphonsus of Ligu- 
ori. In such a state, mental prayer be- 

GUIDE. 16 



212 



comes an insupportable burden; nothing 
is felt in this exercise, but weariness and 
disgust, and, at times, violent temptations, 
darkness, and great discouragement. 

369. Be on your guard, then, volunta- 
rily to yield to distractions, and to abandon 
the exercise of mental prayer. Listen to 
St. Teresa: "Very often, I confess, I would 
have preferred the most severe penance 
to the torment of recollecting myself for 
meditation. I had a desperate struggle to 
sustain in going to the oratory, and. on 
entering, I found myself seized with a 
mortal sadness. Nevertheless I made an 
effort to overcome myself, and God came 
to my help " 

370. "It is by aridities and tempta- 
tions that the Lord tries those that love 
him. Even if this trial were to last dur- 
ing the entire life, a soul ought not to a- 
bandon mental prayer; a time will come 
when everything will be amply repaid. 
The love of God does not consist in 
experiencing tender affections, but in 
serving him with courage and humility." 
(St. Teresa.) 



— 243 — 

371. Behold a remedy counseled by 
St. Augustine: "We should be like the 
famished children of God; during mental, 
prayer, let us ask for alms at the gates of 
his presence because he gives food to the 
hungry. Famelici Dei esse debemus; ante 
januam conspectus illius in orationibus men- 
dicemus; ipse dot escam esurient ibus." "In 
moments of interior dryness and aridity 
of spirit," says St. Philip of Neri, "it proves 
an excellent remedy, to consider ourselves 
as mendicants in the presence of God and 
the saints, and thus to draw near, some- 
times to one saint, sometimes to another, 
to ask him for spiritual alms, with the 
same earnestness and sincerity as poor 
people do, who hold out their hand to us." 
This is, under a striking form, the recourse 
to the prayer of faith, of the presence of 
God, and of supplication (arts. 235 and 
236). 

372. Finally, let us listen to the con- 
soling and encouraging words of St. Al- 
phonsus: "It is in dryness that we profit 
most. Then, let us be humble and re- 
signed, when beholding ourselves without 



244 



fervor, without desire, and almost unable 
to produce any act of virtue. Let us be 
humble, I say, and resigned: this medita- 
tion will be more profitable to us than the 
others. If in this case we can d'o nothing 
else, let us be content with saying: Help 
me, Lord, have mercy on me, and do not 
abandon me. Let us have recourse to Ma- 
ry, our Mother and our comfort. Happ} T 
is he who in desolation remains faithful 
to the practice of mental prayer! God 
will shower down his graces upon him." 

373. But for the seemingly abandoned 
soul, nothing equals the consolation con- 
veyed by these words of St. Francis ot 
Sales: "The more God deprives us of con- 
solations, the more we should endeavor to 
testify our fidelity towards him. A single 
act made in dryness of spirit is worth 
more than many acts made with tender- 
ness of spirit, because it is the fruit of a 
stronger love As a mother refuses sug- 
ar to her child which has the thread- 
worm, so God takes consolations from us, 
when we take a vain satisfaction in them, 
and are subject to the worm of presump- 



245 



tion......Let us patiently await the return 

of consolation, let us go on our way, let us 
not, on that account, omit any exercise 
of devotion, but if possible rather multiply 
our good works. . .... 



374. "I nevertheless approve that you 
tell your affliction to your sweet Savior, 
but lovingly and without haste, because 
he is pleased that we speak to him of the 
evils he has inflicted on us, and complain 
to him; but it should be with love and hu- 
mility, and to himself, as little children 
do, when their mother has chastised them. 
Nevertheless, we must also suffer some- 
thing and with sweetness." 

375. Finally, let us be resigned to the 
holy w r ili of God ; it fe always to this con- 
clusion that w T e must come. Besides, has 
the object of mental prayer not been at- 
tained? Do you believe that your soul, 
kept in the presence of God, has not been 
nourished by a substantial food, and 
strengthened in virtue? Are you not bet- 
ter able to fulfill your duties? Is not this 
the very end of mental prayer? 

37G. Whenever the demon does not 



— 246—, 

succeed in diverting the soul from men- 
tal prayer by other attacks, he endeavors 
to draw her into illusions. As the effect 
of the remedies we have already indicated 
with regard to distractions and dryness is 
also to forewarn us against illusions, or to 
withdraw us from them if we had had the 
misfortune to become their prey, we have 
but to complete some of the indications 
already given in order to render the mind 
more attentive thereto. 

377. A first illusion consists in believ- 
ing that mental prayer is too difficult and 
that we shall never succeed in making it 
well. All that we have already said of 
the facility of meditation proves that this 
is a wrong idea; we will therefore not try 
to refute it. 

378. We meet with souls that seem to 
have a good will, but they are convinced 
that it is useless for them any longer to 
try to make mental prayer, or to make it 
well, since the} T witness no result. 

379. It is, first of all, to be remarked 
that mental prayer would not be useless, 
even were its results restricted to prevent 



— 247 — 

us from falling or relapsing- but, prac- 
ticed with a good will, mental prayer will 
always make us advance. Do not more 
endeavor to see your progress in virtue, 
than to see or hear the grass grow day 
after day. These developments are as dif- 
ficult to ascertain in the moral as well as 
in the physical order; the work of prog- 
ress proceeds slowly and insensibly. Men- 
tal prayer is a spiritual nourishment,whose 
effects we do not immediately perceive. 
'•If the human heart exercises itself in 
meditation, it will always become more and 
more united to the divine Goodness, but 
by imperceptible advances, which are not 
very plainly remarked while they are 
made, but when they are made." (St. 
Francis of Sales.) 

380. Do not estimate the value of your 
meditations either by the consolations you 
experience, or by the weariness you suffer, 
or by the stationary condition you re- 
mark, but by the good will you feel after 
it, by the more marked esteem for the 
Rule, for obedience, for mortification, etc. 
In a good meditation, we do not learn to 



— 248— 

feel, but to will, not to be perfect, but to 
labor incessantly to become so. 

381. "The resolutions," says St. Fran- 
cis of Sales, "are the great fruits of men- 
tal prayer, which, without them, is very 
often, not only useless, but even danger- 
ous, because the virtues meditated upon, 
but not practiced, sometimes inflate the 
mind and courage, and cause us to think 
that we are such as we have resolved 
to be." 

382. It is likewise an illusion if we be- 
lieve to be something because we have 
made meditation with exactitude, with a 
certain method, and even with pleasure; 
because we had, during meditation, some 
good thought, some pious velleity; because 
we have admired the beauty of virtue, 
and found vice detestable; because we 
have experienced disgust at the wicked- 
ness of the world, grieved over the luke- 
warmness and faults of the neighbor, con- 
ceived thousand projects of zeal and 
formed thousands of desires for the great- 
er glory of God. But we are not con- 
cerned about ourselves, except to say 



—249— 

with the Pharisee, in a complete and very 
dangerous illusion : O God, I thank thee 
that I am not like those living in the 
world, not even like such a one of my 
Brothers; I am attached to thee, 1 per- 
form the exercises of a Christian and re- 
ligious life, I even perform works of su- 
pererogation, etc. 

383. According to the testimony of the 
saints, the following are some of the 
marks by which w T e may know that we 
are not subject to these illusions, and that 
mental prayer brings forth good fruit; it 
is, above all, an excellent sign, if we go 
out from meditation with the conviction 
that we must commence with the reform 
of ourselves, and that no reform is neither 
more necessary nor more pressing. After 
each meditation, savs the author of the 
Imitation of Christ, "every day we ought 
to renew our purpose, and stir ourselves 
up to fervor, as if it were the first day of 
our conversion, and to say: Kelp me, O 
Lord God, in my good purpose, and in 
thy holy service, and grant that I may 
this day begin indeed, since what I have 



250 



hitherto done is nothing.*' (Imit, I, 19.) 
He who does not keep, before all and con- 
stantly, at his own renovation, works un- 
der an illusion. 

384. The reform of your interior con- 
duct is explained by your exterior con- 
duct, and especially by your behavior to- 
wards your neighbor. Make your medi- 
tations well, and you will find your charity 
becoming every day more and more real. 
True charity, you know, is patient, benev- 
olent, and full of attention; it excuses all, 
explains all in good part, forgives all, is 
ingenious in cementing the union of 
hearts and minds. "Do you wish to 
know whether you have made meditation 
well? See whjether your heart is filled with 
kind and charitable affections towards 
your neighbor." (St. Francis of Sales.) 

385. Interior renovation necessarily 
leads to a more unreserved abnegation of 
one's self, which is a third sign of a good 
mental prayer. Progress in the divers 
spiritual exercises is estimated by the re- 
nunciation of our self-love, self will, and 
of our case.'' (St. Ignatius of Loyola.) 



251 



386. A fourth sign of a well-made 
mental prayer, is a complete abandonment 
to the will of God; this is the very end of 
mental prayer. "The sovereign means for 
obtaining from God whatever we wish, is, 
before all, to ask in our meditation, not 
for what we wish, but for what God wish- 
es of us. God is more pleased with the 
least act of obedience and submission to 
his will in us, than by all the services 
which we would propose to render him ac- 
cording to our own taste and inclination." 
(St, John of the Cross.) 

387. Finally, the surest sign of the 
goodness of our mental prayer, is our ad- 
vancement in humility and obedience; in 
the practice, these virtues are inseparable, 
and are like the nourishing soil of the 
flowers and fruits of meditation. We 
love, therefore, to repeat in conclusion: 
apply yourself to meditation, and you will 
obtain the precious gift of humility; apply 
yourself to humility, and you. will obtain 
the gift of meditation; these two virtues 
are never found one without the other. 
Be then humble, acknowledge your weak- 



— 252 — 

hess, your im potency, your un worthiness, 
your nothingness; repel every vain satis- 
faction with yourself, all self-love and 
egotism, and God will look down upon 
you with benevolence: Eespexlt humilita- 

tem .Deposuit potentes de sede et exalta- 

vit -humiles. (Luke i, 48, 52.) — Deus super- 
bos resistit, humilibus autem dat grati.am. 
(James iv, 6.) 

388. Be a little child by your humili- 
ty, be also a little child by your confidence 
in your Father, by your filial abandon- 
ment; leave to God the choice of the kind 
of mental prayer best suited for you. 
There is the prayer of consolation and 
that of abandonment, the prayer of action 
and that of patience, the prayer of per- 
sonal work and that of grace, the prayer 
of struggle and that of peace, etc. Which 
is the best for you? it is that which God 
reserves to you. As for you, go to medi- 
tation w T hen duty or the Eule calls you 
thither; go there through obedience, with 
humility and confidence, but well pre- 
pared. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

HOW WE OUGHT TO ENDEAVOR TO MAKE 
OUR MENTAL PRAYER A "PRAYER OF 
FAITH." 

389. Although we have everywhere 
put in relief the role of faith, we think it 
useful to insist still on this point, since it 
is the distinctive character of mental 
prayer and of the method w r e recommend. 
"Mental prayer is all faith, it revolves up- 
on the truths of faith, it is made by the 
light of faith, it establishes the soul in the 
light of faith; faith is its principle, its ob- 
ject and instrument." (Father Chaminade.) 

390. "All the acts which enter into 
mental prayer are either directly or indi- 
rectly acts of faith, to such a point that 
we can say, faith only is necessary for 
meditation. The very conditions neces- 
sary for making meditation well, are like- 
wise based on faith." (Suarez.) 

391. Faith is the basis or principle on 



— 254 — 

which mental prayer and the practice of 
mental prayer rest; "Fides forts oratio- 
nis" (St. Augustine.) If you suppress 
faith, or the acts of faith in the existence, 
goodness, power, word, and promise of 
God, you render impossible, not only the 
practice, but even the idea of mental 
prayer. Without doubt, "it is hope and 
charity that pray; but faith believes, and 
since hope and charity cannot exist with- 
out faith, faith prays likewise." (St. Au- 
gustine.) This holy Doctor goes so far as 
to say: u Non orat nisi fides; it is faith a- 
lone that prays." 

392. The more your faith in God, in 
all the infinite perfections of his being, 
will be lively and profound, the more med- 
itation will become for you an easy, wor- 
thy, honorable, and advantageous exer- 
cise, the more lovingly and eagerl} 7 you 
will practice it. The gift of meditation is 
proportioned to that of faith,and the gift of 
faith increases with the petitions we make 
to God for this purpose. "Fides fundit o- 
rationem, fusa orotio fidei impetrat firmi- 
tatem. Faith diffuses prayer; but prayer, 



•>r»; 



>.) 



iii its turn, confirms faith." (St. Augustine.) 
Therefore you should place amongst the 
most familiar of your ejaculatory prayers, 
the following: "Adauge nobis fiderri. In- 
crease our faith." (Luke xvn, 5.) "Cre- 
do, Domine, adjuva incredulitatem meam. 
1 believe, Lord, come to the assistance of 
my want of faith." (Mark ix, 33.) 

393. Faith is likewise the instrument 
of mental prayer, the means of becoming 
men of mental prayer, the road which 
leads to the perfect practice of mental 
prayer. Thus, first of all, it is b}^ faith, 
that we approach God, for the special au- 
dience of meditation : '-Accedentem ad De- 
um, credere oportet quia est. He that com- 
eth to God must believe that he is." 
(Hebr. xi, 6.) 

394. Faith is the light in which God 
manifests himself to our souls, the medi- 
um through which his words, his thoughts, 
the expression of his will come to us. 
Faith is therefore our habitual and ordi- 
nary means of communication with God. 

39"). Faith predisposes us for medita- 
tion by enlightening us about ourselves, 



25G 



about God, and about the relations which 
unite us with God. It reveals to us our 
principle, our end, our nature, our igno- 
rance, our weakness, and our miseries, and 
then our sublime destiny; at the same 
time, it reveals to us all the wonders of 
God's goodness in our regard. 

39o\ Finally, it represents to us men- 
tal prayer as the incomparable instrument, 
put into the hands of all, to obtain the en- 
tire accomplishment in our regard of all 
God's promises and designs. 

897. Faith puts us in relation with the 
Divine Master, with his representatives, 
with Holy Church, and the saints; it pla- 
ces at our disposal the Gospel, the teach- 
ings of the Church and saints; it procures 
for us the inestimable advantage of hav- 
ing the advice, the sentiment, the precept 
or counsel of our Lord, on every question, 
object, or whatever may interest our pres- 
ent conduct and our eternal future. 

398. It is likewise from faith that we 
draw the desire, the will, the courage, the 
force, the patience, with all the necessary 
dispositions in order to apply ourselves to 



— 257 — 

meditation, and, despite all obstacles, to 
persevere in this holy exercise. 

399. It is then by faith, that we com- 
mence, continue, and bring to the highest 
perfection the divine exercise of mental 
prayer. 

400. It is, besides, by faith, and by the 
prayer of faith, that we take the habit of 
dwelling in the supernatural regions, that 
we converse familiarly with God, the 
Blessed Virgin, our guardian angel, and 
the saints, that we think as they do, that 
we have the same aspirations and the 
same will with them. In a word, our life 
is truly a life of faith : Ci Justus autem mens 
ex fide vivit. (Hebr. x, 38.) 

401. Thus the prayer of faith is really 
the common source of all virtues, the 
practical school of perfection, and the 
direct road to our end. 

402. We may still better account for 
the wonders operated by faith, if we try 
to measure the extent of the domain of 
faith, and if we are attentive to -the fact 
that this domain is the same as that of 
meditation. Wherever faith penetrates, 

guide. 17 



— 258 — 

mental prayer follows, there to make 
choice of subjects for meditation, and of 
objects of affection. 

403. The immense and even infinite 
domain of faith is summed up in the form 
of a table, in the Apostles' Creed, called 
in the Church, the symbol of faith, symbo- 
lum fidei. This formula is unique; no- 
where, with no nation, at no epoch, will 
you find anything comparable to the sym- 
bol of our faith. 

404. Taking this point of view, Kev. 
Father Chaminade found it therefore un- 
necessary to seek elsewhere for subjects 
of meditation. Whatever can be taken as 
a subject of meditation is implicitly con- 
tained in this symbol. 

405. And first of all, we have said over 
and again how useful it is, w T hen consid- 
ering the object of our faith, frequently 
to repeat this first word of the symbol: 
Credo, I believe. .Retain and concentrate 
your attention on this affirmation, sub- 
joining some questions like the following: 
Do I really believe? Am I convinced that 
God has revealed this truth to me? that 



259 



his infallible authority proposes it to my 
belief? Do 1 believe with the certainty 
and the satisfaction of possessing the truth? 
I believe men of superior science in what 
they teach me; do I believe God, the in- 
finite Wisdom and eternal Truth, more 
firmly than the man most worthy of be- 
lief? I believe, i. e. I am therefore as cer- 
tain of the truths God deigns to reveal to 
me, as I am of the most evident and indu- 
bitable truths. If 1 believed more vivid- 
ly, would not my life be in accordance 
with my faith? Would I not modify my 
judgments on this or that point? 

406. What mysteries, what vivifying 
truths are accumulated in this beginning: 
Credo in Deum, I believe in God! To be- 
lieve in the living and true God! how 
this faith elevates us above so many na- 
tions, which, for not possessing this belief 
in a true God, are plunged in the dark- 
ness of the grossest errors, and are seat- 
ed in the shadows of death, i. e. of moral 
degradation. The more lively, full, and 
universal this belief in God of a Christian 
or of a people becomes, the more it ele- 



— 260 — 

vates them, brings them nearer to God 
and to perfection. And it is the medita- 
tion of faith that operates these wonders. 

407. Continue the recitation of the 
Creed : Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem 
coeli et terrce! As you pronounce these 
words, Faith gives you a glimpse of God, 
his nature and perfections, oi the Trinity 
with its mysterious depths, the three a- 
dorable Persons, of the Creation, heaven, 
earth, the universe, the angels, man, of 
the history of angels and men, with God's 
plan for each part of the Creation. 

408. Now we are at the second Per- 
son: Et in Jesum Christum. When St. 
Philip of Neri, in his assiduous medita- 
tions on the symbol, came to these words, 
he thrilled with joy, and was rapt in the 
sweetest contemplations. What wonders 
do, indeed, unroll themselves before our 
eyes! The Incarnation of the Word, the 
.Redemption of the human race, the incom- 
parable figure of the mo4 holy Virgin 
Mary, Mother of God, and Queen of the 
entire Creation ; the life, apostolate, and 
passion of our Lord, i. e. the most beauti- 



261 



fill, sublime, and comprehensive subject 
of meditation! I insist on no point, I do 
not allow myself any comment, in order 
not to be drawn further than I would 
like. 

409. To interrupt, I quote a simple re- 
flection of St. F-rancis of Sales on the Pas- 
sion : "I think, he says, that Jesus Christ, 
besides the other objects he could have 
had in view, has wished to suffer many 
and divers pains, as the scourging, the 
crowning with thorns, the crucifixion, etc. ; 
that having before our eyes all these sor- 
rowful mysteries, we might have as many 
different subjects of meditation on the 
Passion, subjects from which we might 
draw various sentiments of gratitude and 
love." 

410. According to St. Francis of Sales, 
St. Philip of J^eri, and others, the Passion 
of our Lord ought to be the ordinary sub- 
ject of meditation for all Christians, be- 
cause therein we may learn all things: the 
value of the soul, the malice of sin, the 
goodness and love of God, etc. How ma- 
ny volumes have not been written on these 



262 



simple words: passus sub Pontio Pilato, 
crucifixus, mortuus et sepultus! 

•411. 1 pass over immediately to an 
article which reveals to us, as it were, a 
new world, in the person and operations 
of the Holy Ghost; it is the supernatural 
world of grace, a thousand times more 
beautiful than the natural world, and 
more explicitly designated by the Holy 
Catholic Church and the Communion of 
Saints; here we find the mysteries of 
grace, the very end of Creation and Ke- 
demption, the family of God, the Divine 
Filiation, together with all the wonders it 
comprises, the sacraments, the holy Eu- 
charist, the remission of sins, the history 
of the Church and of the saints which 
comprises universal history and explains 
everything. 

412. Finally in these words : credo vi- 
tam ceternam, you have the last end, the 
accomplishment of God's designs, and the 
crowning of his love; it is the eternity 
which will have no end, and will consti- 
tute our true life! There we shall see and 
contemplate face to face, what faith shows 



— 263 — 

ns now as concealed with a veil. 

413. In this compendium you have be- 
fore you the history of all that is. But 
what a compendium! what an ensemble 
and what details it unveils to us and 
permits us to divine! 

414. Do you wish to take the Creed as 
the only and continual subject of your 
meditations? Behold how you are to pi*o- 
ceed: after having placed yourself in the 
presence of God, says Eev. Father Cham- 
inade, commence to recite the symbol 
with all the attention of which you are 
capable; then take up one article after 
another, consider each singly as long as 
you feel any attraction; pass on to the 
following article, as soon as distractions 
begin to turn you far from the subject. 
If any article makes no impression upon 
you, pass it without stopping, because 
there must be no contention of spirit; if 
you are able to keep your attention fixed 
only for one minute and feel the struggle 
would be useless to continue longer, do 
not try to keep it thereon two minutes. 
Go through the Creed, in this manner, 



— 264— 

perhaps two, three,or four times in a half- 
hour. 

415. After some days, a change will be 
operated which will become apparent more 
and more; you will no longer succeed in 
going through in one one half-hour all 
that one single article shall speak to your 
mind and heart. The considerations, and 
especially the affections, will come in 
crowds, you will stand before an inex- 
haustible mine, and soon you will discover 
that your life is too short to exhaust that 
which will be the object of your admira- 
tion for a whole eternity. 

416. You will no longer stand in need 
of another book of meditations; you will 
possess all in the Creed. For all, whether 
in the order of nature or in that of grace, 
is implicitly comprised therein: the Trini- 
ty, Jesus Christ, Holy Church, Mary, the 
Gospel, the Apostles, the saints, finally all 
that is done in time, and will remain for- 
ever. 

417. Thus the Creed is really the char- 
acteristic sign of the Christian, because 
outside of Christianity and of the symbol of 






— 265 — 

faith, and of what is its commentary, you 
will nowhere find a collection of precise, 
exact, and satisfactory answers to all the 
questions which interest humanity. 

418. The symbol reveals God and his 
work to us. What a book of meditations! 
It is the only one which explains all. This 
wonderful book unfolds before us the di- 
vine plan, and already presents to our 
view the edifice which is constructed in 
time for eternity, on earth for heaven. 
Here below we see enough of the edifice 
to make out what it will be: the exterior 
and passing world forms its temporary 
portico, the Church prepares the living 
stories; we catch but a glimpse of what 
the crowning will be at the end of time. 




CHAPTER XIX. 

How the Blessed Virgin is the patron- 
ess AND MODEL OF MEN OF MENTAL 
PRAYER. 

419. Our counsels would be incomplete 
and our mission but imperfectly accom- 
plished, were we not to add a few words 
to the relations existing between the Bless- 
ed Virgin and men of mental prayer. In 
truth, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the 
perfect model and the most powerful help 
we can propose to men of good will, who 
have resolved to devote themselves gener- 
ously to the exercise of mental prayer. 

420. When God distributed the most 
important parts and the highest func- 
tions in H0I3 7 Church, was not. in every 
thing, the best part reserved to the 
most blessed Virgin? No one would dare 
to affirm the contrary. Now, in the apos- 
tolic functions, this best part, according 
to the testimony of St. Peter and the a- 



— 2G7 — 

postles, is prayer: "Nos vero orationi et 
ministerio verbi instant er erimus; but we 
will give ourselves to prayer and the min- 
istry of the word." (Acts VI, 4.) 

421. Prayer, in its most sublime es- 
sence, is the occupation of the angels and 
saints in heaven ; it will constitute their 
honor and joy during all eternity. Here 
below, prayer is likewise the highest, the 
most heavenly, and most worthy of all oc- 
cupations; it is, at the same time, the first 
instrument of the apostolate and the most 
powerful means of Christian zeal. On 
this account, prayer is placed before the 
preaching of the word of God. For this 
same reason the Divine Master erupted 
thirty years in prayer, and only three 
years in preaching; and yet during these 
three years, the greater part of the time 
was devoted to prayer. It was, therefore, 
the part of Mary, when co-operating in 
the salvation and redemption of the world, 
to pray, to live a life of prayer. She 
prayed in her infancy, in her family, in 
the temple; she prayed at Nazareth; she 
prayed while Jesus preached and immo- 



— 268 — 

luted himself for us; she prayed on Calva- 
ry, she prayed in the Cenacle; she contin- 
ued her ministry of prayer in the primi- 
tive church until her assumption into hea- 
ven. 

422. The prayer of Mary possessed all 
the qualities we have pointed out: it was 
a prayer of faith and of the presence of 
God, then a prayer of meditation, of sup- 
plication, and of conformity to the will of 
God, or union with God. 

423. Mary is the true model of the 
prayer of faith. Why have such great 
things been accomplished in her? Because 
her faith in all God has revealed was per- 
fect. Beata quce credidisti, qaoniam perfici- 
entur ea quae dicta sunt tibi a Domino. 
(Luke i, 45.) 

424. The Gospel is very sparing in the 
details concerning the life of the most 
blessed Virgin, but each fact mentioned is 
a proof of her spirit of faith: The Annun- 
ciation, the Birth of Jesus, the flight into 
Egypt, the life at Nazareth, the apostolic 
life, the passion and death of Jesus, the 
first years of Holy Church, all is a proof 



— 269 — 

that the life of Mary could have been on- 
ly a life of faith, and, as her prayer was 
continual, her life was likewise a continu- 
al prayer of faith. 

425. Furthermore we might say that 
her divine Son w T as pleased to exercise her 
in this life of faith, by treating her in ev- 
ery circumstance according to rules that 
faith alone could find just and wise. 
Think only of the birth of Jesus in a 
complete destitution, of the flight into E- 
gypt, of the loss of Jesus in the temple, 
and of his answer to the loving complaint 
of his Mother: of the poor, laborious and 
hidden life in the house of Nazareth, of 
the apostolic life of Jesus without appa- 
rent success, of the words of Jesus to his 
Mother at the wedding of Cana, then of 
his la^t words on the Cross: "Woman, be- 
hold thy Son' ? ; lastly think of his death 
which seemed to terminate all without re- 
sult. Is it thus that the Son of God 
should have come on earth, lived, and 
died? Faith alone could explain and sus- 
tain all, and faith was as vivid as unshak- 
en i n Mary. Hence, we*sal ute her as Virgo 



— 270 — 

fidelis; Virgin most faithful, pray for us, 
obtain for us the spirit and prayer of faith, 
from thy Son, who is the Author of faith. 
426. Whoever lived with God in a 
more intimate, complete, and continual 
presence than the Blessed Virgin Mary? 
According to the most celebrated doctors, 
she enjoyed the clear vision of the blessed 
from the moment of her Immaculate Con- 
ception. When three years old, she went 
to the temple, in order to show still bet- 
ter that she remained unceasingly in the 
presence of God ; from the moment of the 
Incarnation, she never separated from her 
Son and after the Ascension, she could 
only console herself by sighing after her 
dearly beloved Son. Who will reveal to 
us, especially, the mysteries of the hidden 
life of Nazareth? What was the principal 
occupation of Mary and Joseph? Was it 
not to contempate Jesus, to admire him, 
to adore him, to give him thanks, then to 
work but for him, and to be at his service 
without reserve? Is not this a perfect and 
continual meditation? Has not St. Joseph 
been declared, on this account, the patron 



271 



of interior life and the model of divine 
prayer? What, then, should we say of 
Mary ? Her life was a continual thought 
concentrated in God, i. e. an uninterrup- 
ted prayer, a prayer of faith and of the 
presence of God. 

427. "Maria autem conservabat omnia 
verba hcec conferens in corde suo. Mary 
kept all these words, pondering them in 
her heart," (Luke n, 19.) The Holy 
Ghost himself gives her this testimon} T . 
Incessantly she revolved in her mind the 
unspeakable mysteries with which she 
was associated : the mystery of the Incar- 
nation, of the Redemption, of the Passion 
of her Son, etc. And as the Holy Ghost 
enlightened the soul of Mary with his 
brightest rays, she comprehended the 
meaning of thete mysteries better than 
any other creature. Her life was there- 
fore a continual prayer of meditation. 

428. Is it necessary to add that it was 
also a continual prayer of supplication, a 
perpetual jet of ejaculatory prayers, an 
unbroken chain of holy desires? She her- 
self has revealed this great truth to us, 



when she declared that the Lord hath re- 
garded the humility of his handmaid, and 
that he has filled with good things those 
that were hungry . Mary belonged to 
the first rank of these famished ones, who 
asked for the supersubstantial bread with 
incessantly renewed supplications. The 
life of Mary was a life of petition, of invo- 
cation, and of entreaty, continually ad- 
dressed to Heaven, i: e. a veritable pray- 
er of supplication. 

429. Finally, all the prayers, desires, 
actions, and dispositions of Mary, were 
summed up in the perfect conformity with 
the will of God: this was her last conclu- 
sion in everything: Ecce ancilla Domini, 
fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. 1 am the 
handmaid of the Lord, I can have but one 
will, namely, that the will of God be fully 
accomplished in me. This is for her the 
term of all her wishes and the summit of 
perfection. 

430. When a woman proclaimed the 
Mother of the Savior blessed, Jesus Christ 
replied: " Quinimmo beati quiaudiunt verbum 
Dei et custodiunt Mud! Yea, rather blessed 



273 



are they who hear the word of God 
and keep it!" (Luke xi, 28.) Our Lord 
wished to make us understand by this 
that the most holy Virgin was still more 
happy by her conformity to the will of 
God, by her supernatural union with 
God, than by her quality as Mother of 
the Savior. This union is much more 
real, intimate, and direct than that exist- 
ing between the mother and her children; 
it comes nearest to the union which exists 
between the persons of the adorable Trin- 
ity; by it w r e are but one with God, as the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one. In 
whom was this union with God more per- 
fect than in Mary? In her, it was the 
clear vision of Heaven, it was a perpetual 
contemplation and ecstasy. 

431. Thus Mary is the model from 
which, as in a marvellous book, we learn the 
practice of perfect mental prayer, which 
consists in the prayer of faith and of the 
presence of God, in the prayer of medita- 
tion, of supplication, of union or conform- 
ity to the will of God. The prayer of 
Mary shall be the prayer of her children. 

GUIDE. IS 



74 



432. May it be thus, through thy in- 
tercession, O Mother of Divine Grace! Art 
thou not thyself the book in which the 
most sublime, the most varied, and the 
most consoling subjects of meditation are 
developed? Art thou not the mirror in 
which he is reflected, who is Eternal 
Justice? Art thou not the Seat of Divine 
Wisdom, the singular Vessel of true devo- 
tion, the Ark of the covenant between 
Heaven and earth? Hail then, O Mother 
of divine meditation! "Hail, incomprehen- 
sible Book, in which we can read and stud- 
y the Word, the eternal Son of the Fa- 
ther! Ave, liber incomprehensus, quce Ver- 
bum et Filium Patris mundo legendum ex- 
hibuisti." (St. Epiphanius.) 



LP 



CHAPTER XX. 

A LAST WORD OF THE GUIDE. 

433. After having followed our indica- 
tions thus far, listen still, dear friend, to 
these last words of your Guide. Be a 
man of prayer and meditation, and it will 
suffice. As long as you possess the means 
of prayer (during life we have this means 
always) and have recourse to it faithfully, 
nothing will be lost to you, nothing com- 
promised, every thing will be saved and 
repaired. 

434. Mental prayer, such as we have 
just explained it, forms part, not only of 
every true prayer, but of every exercise of 
piety, and, in some regard, of every act of 
supernatural life. Some other exercises, 
such as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, 
Holy Communion, surpass it in dignity; 
but mental prayer occupies the first place, 
when we consider the role which it is 
called upon to take in the spiritual life; it 



276 



is the fire by which charity is enkindled, 
the source from which we draw the spir- 
it of piety; it constitutes the soul of all 
the exercises, it vivifies them, increases 
their value and salutary effects. 

435. With mental prayer, all the exer- 
cises of piety are kept up and bear fruit; 
without it, they languish and remain bar- 
ren. Even the frequent reception of the 
Sacraments, Holy Communion, Holy 
Mass, instructions, spiritual reading, the 
recitation of the Divine Office, vocal pray- 
ers, all may become, and, in fact, do be- 
come, in the course of time, a mere act of 
routine, without value and efficacy, if you 
are not careful to unite with these exer- 
cises that which constitutes their life, soul, 
vigor, and fertility, if you do not bring to 
them the spirit of faith, the prayer of 
faith. Yes, if you leave aside the prayer 
of faith, everything will disappear and fall 
to ruin, and you will be lost. 

436. On the contrary, should you have 
abandoned all the Christian practices, 
should you have contracted an inveterate 
habit of sin, fallen into despair, you will 



— 9, 



i i 



infallibly rise again by the prayer of faith, 
and remain unshaken by persevering in 
this holy exercise. 

437. If the damned in hell could still 
pray, their cause would be gained, for God 
never resists the prayer of faith. What 
increases the torments of these unhappy 
creatures is, that there is not one of them, 
who is not obliged to give himself this 
crushing testimony: If I had prayed, 
when I had the facility, I should not now 
be here; it is therefore my own fault. 

438. The prayer of faith is a light, 
which dispels darkness and illusions; it 
delivers the soul from blindness, brings 
her back and keeps her on the paths of 
justice and of truth, and preserves in her 
sentiments of humility and confidence. 

439. Mental prayer is a heavenly dew 
penetrating the heart, triumphing over 
every hardness, insensibility, and obsti- 
nate resistance to grace. It causes the heav- 
enly fire, which inflames, embraces, and 
excites, to descend to the soul; thus it pre- 
serves her from all drowsiness, and un- 
ceasingly prompts her to works of piety. 



— 278 — 

440. Finally, the prayer of faith and 
of the presence of God, of meditation, of 
supplication, and of union with God in 
the same will, is that intimate intercourse, 
in which God communicates with his child 
by that word which has created all, and 
which nothing can resist, which enrap- 
tures, embraces, strengthens, and attracts 
all hearts. "This word," says St. Paul, 
"is living and effectual, and more pene- 
trating than any two-edged sword; and 
reaching unto the division of the soul and 
the spirit, of the joints also, and the mar- 
row, and is a discerner of the thoughts 
and intents of the heart." (Hebr. iv, 12.) 

441. Let us then give free scope to our 
admiration by repeating with St. Augus- 
tine: "Quid oratione prceclarius ; what is 
there more glorious than mental prayer? 
Quid vitce nostrce utilius; what more use- 
ful to our life? Quid animo dulcius; what 
more delicious to the soul? Quid in tola 
nostra religione sublimius; what more ex- 
cellent in our holy religion?" 

442. Devote yourself frequently to 
mental prayer, because God wishes it 



— 279 — 

thus, and wishes it in your own interest. 
Yes, he asks of you continually to have 
recourse to mental prayer, because it is 
the most useful exercise of piety, because 
none of its acts will remain unrewarded. 

443. God has resolved to grant us ev- 
erything on two conditions: 1. that we 
ask it of him; 2. that we renew this peti- 
tion until we have obtained it. 

444. It is out of love for us that God 
requires of .us not only to pray, but to at- 
tain a certain measure in prayer. The 
nearer we come to this measure, the near- 
er we approach the fullness of graces. A 
Christian, a religious, a family, a commu- 
nity, a people, the Church, has, at a given 
moment, come so much nearer to perfec- 
tion, as this measure of prayer is more 
closely reached. How beautiful is this role 
of prayer, and the role of those who' de- 
vote themselves to prayer! They best un- 
derstand and most efficaciously procure 
their personal interests, the interests of 
their natural or religious family, of their 
country, and those of Holy Church. 

445. Apply yourself then, whoever 



280 



you may be, to mental prayer, because 
you could do nothing better. Besides the 
reasons already given, each one has, more- 
over, such as are personal and special, se- 
cret or public. 

446. If you are still young, devote 
yourself to mental prayer, because the 
good Master will receive you with predi- 
lection; he has hidden the mysterious 
and ineffable delights of mental prayer 
from the great, and revealed them to the 
the little, humble, and simple souls. Child- 
hood is the most favorable age for being 
initiated into the exercise of mental pray- 
er. 

447. If you are a young man, the 
wants are more immediate, and the love 
of our Lord is, for that reason, more ur- 
gent; mental prayer answers the aspira- 
tions and necessities of your heart; it a- 
lone can satisfy its insatiable desires, 
strengthen it, and render it invulnerable. 

448. If you have reached manhood, it 
is time to show yourself a perfect Chris- 
tian and soldier of Jesus Christ, to make 
use of your greatest strength; now it is in 



281 



mental prayer, that the Holy Ghost will 
nourish you with the bread of the strong, 
and will superabundantly diffuse in your 
soul the gifts whose germ you have re- 
ceived in confirmation. Tn everything you 
will acquire a superiority which will be 
an effect of the habit of mental prayer, 
and will be expressed by signs of wisdom, 
intelligence, counsel, fortitude, science, pi- 
ety, and fear of God. If you are at lei- 
sure, you could not find a nobler employ- 
ment of your time; if you are occupied 
with business, it is with greater reason that 
you must, in your time-table, reserve an in- 
violable part to meditation. Your individ- 
ual worth will be doubled thereby, every- 
thing will go better, should you even be a 
statesman and leader of nations. 

449. Are jou already on the decline of 
life, or reduced to a kind of repose on ac- 
count of your infirmities, it is so much the 
easier for you to multiply the acts by 
which you fill up the required measure of 
prayer in order that the designs of di- 
vine Mercy may be fully accomplished on 
you and your own. 



— 282 — 

450. If God has called you to his im- 
mediate service by the sacerdotal or reli- 
gious vocation, know that if you are a 
priest by ordination, }^ou can be a good 
priest only by meditation ; if you are a re- 
ligious by the profession of vows, you can 
be a good religious only by the faithful 
exercise of meditation. 

451. Satan has sworn to prevent you 
from becoming a man of meditation? Will 
he succeed? Will he have the last word? 
Vow in your turn that you will be, at a- 
ny cost, a man of meditation, and even 
will become an apostle of meditation. To 
teach mental prayer, to recommend it, to 
facilitate its practice, is perhaps the best 
means of triumphing over the attacks of 
the demon, and of becoming master in 
this divine art. 

452. Acknowledge that up to this day 
you have not sufficiently understood the 
the necessity, facility, excellence, and ad- 
vantages of mental prayer. Continue to 
improve in this doctrine by the very ex- 
ercise of meditation under the conduct of 
your Guide. Never abandon this Guide, 



—283— 

consult it daily, follow it faithfully; soon 
you will perceive, to your satisfaction, 
that, under this direction, your love and 
esteem for the practice of mental prayer 
will increase day by day. 

453. Finally, whoever you may be, 
my dear friend, listen to this last word of 
mine: if }ou are a man of prayer, give 
thanks to God for this inestimable gift; if 
you are not yet a man of prayer, neglect 
nothing to become it very soon. Oportet 
semper orare et non defieere. (Luke xviii, 
1.) Let it be so, and it will suffice. 

May the.Father, Son, and Holy Ghost be 

glorified in all places "by the 

Immaculate Virgin Mary. 




APPENDIX. 



I, PREPARATION FOR MENTAL PRAYER. 

Formulas or models of some acts 
whicn ordinarily form the intro- 
duction to Mental Prayer. 

The object of the formulas in this ap- 
pendix is to aid in producing the acts oi 
the immediate preparation; they are not 
the acts themselves, and cannot replace 
them: it would not suffice then mere- 
ly to read these formulas. They serve 
to guide the soul and suggest to her 
what to think and what is to be done 
by herself. You will, therefore, read 
them again, or consult your memory to 
know whether you have learned them 
by heart. It is not necessary, at each 
meditation, explicitly to make all the acts, 
whose formulas are given here, because 



28t> 



all are implicitly comprised in one anoth- 
er. You will, therefore, select at one time 
this act, at another time a different one; 
never, however, will you omit the act of 
faith in the presence of God, and the act 
of adoration. The resume of these formu- 
las shows you how to shorten the time 
devoted to these acts, as circumstances 
may require. When mental prayer is 
combined with another exercise of piety, 
it is sometimes necessary still more to a- 
bridge and to omit parts of this resume. 

Act of Faith. 

O my God, I believe all that thou hast 
taught and revealed, because thou art 
truth itself. In particular, do I believe, 
that every word of thine, every maxim ot 
thy Gospel, every truth taught by thy 
Holy Church, merits greater attention 
than all the teachings of men, and all the 
science of this world. Thou dost vouch- 
safe, in this hour, to call me to the holy 
exercise of prayer in order to speak to me. 
I hasten to come, because thou alone hast 



28' 



the words of eternal life. Speak then, O 
Lord, for thy servant heareth. I believe 
in thy word, but increase this commence- 
ment of a belief, that this meditation may 
truly be a meditation of faith, and that 
my life may more and more become a life 
of faith. 

Act of Faith in the Presence of God. 

O my God, I firmly believe all that 
thou hast taught and revealed. I do, in 
particular, believe that thou art here pres- 
ent. I stand here in thy presence, as if I 
were alone in the world. My guardian 
angel, as well as my Eule, says to me: 
"Magister adest, et vocat te; the Master is 
here, and calls thee." Thou really dost, 
in this very moment, look down upon me 
with benevolence; thou sayest to me, as 
to the blind man of Jericho: What wilt 
thou that I should do to thee? — Lord, 
that I may see; open the eyes of my soul, 
that! may, without ceasing, behold and 
glorify thee during this exercise, and dur- 
ing my whole life. 



288 



Act of Adoration. 
O my God, I firmly believe all that 
thou bast taught and revealed. I do, in 
particular, believe that thou art the 
Creator and absolute Master of all things. 
My first duty, in appearing before thy 
Majesty, is to prostrate myself before thee, 
thus acknowledging and affirming thy 
sovereign dominion over myself and all 
creatures. Glory, honor, love, and sub- 
mission to the King of Heaven always and 
everywhere! Daring this audience, I unite 
my adoration and homage to those of Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Virgin, 
of the whole heavenly Court, of the souls 
in Purgatory, of all the faithful living on 
earth, and especially of my fellow-broth- 
ers, who surround me: "Benedicamus Pa- 
ir em et Filium cum Sancto Spiritu, laude- 
mus et superexaltemus eum in scecula! Let 
us bless the Father and the Son with the 
Holy Ghost; let us praise and exalt them 
during all ages!" 

Act of Humility. 
O my God, I firmly believe all that 



— 289 _ 

thou hast taught and revealed. 1 do, in 
particular, believe this word thou dost ad- 
dress to me: "Without me you can do 
nothing." Yes, I confess it, O my God, 
that without thee, I am nothing, I have 
nothing, I can do nothing; I can not even 
pronounce thy adorable name, nor conceive 
one good thought. 1 will therefore not 
be able to do anything during this medi- 
tation if thou dost not come to rav assis- 
tance, if thou dost not vouchsafe to sug- 
gest to me what 1 should say, and to do with 
me what thou dost expect of me. Send 
me then thy Spirit, that he may assist my 
weakness, for of myself I know neither 
what to ask, nor how to pray. (Kom. 
vm, 26.) 

Act of Contrition. 

O my God, I firmly believe all that 
thou hast taught and revealed. I do be- 
lieve, in particular, that sin is the greatest 
injury that could be done to thy Majesty, 
and the greatest misfortune that could 
befall man. This misfortune is mine. A- 

GTHDE. ' 19 



290 



las! I have numberless times wretchedly 
offended thee; I am an ungrateful, a mis- 
erable man, a vile sinner. I am a rebel 
who does not deserve to be admitted into 
the presence of thy Majesty. And still 
thou hast the goodness to call back to 
thee thy lost child. Be thou eternally 
blessed. I deplore my errors in the bitter- 
ness of my soul. Forgive me as I forgive 
those who have offended me ; and teach 
me, in this holy exercise, to expiate my past 
faults, and no more to relapse in future. 

Act of Thanksgiving. 

O ray God, I firmly believe all that 
thou hast taught and revealed. 1 believe, 
in particular, that it is to thee I owe all 
the good that is in me: existence, life, faith, 
vocation, the repeated forgiveness of my 
sins, the numberless gifts that are depen- 
dent on these first benefits; for me thou 
didst come into the world, thou didst suf- 
fer, die, and dost still live in our midst in 
the holy Eucharist. The grace of this 
meditation is a new gift, surpassing all 



291 



perishable goods. How can I worthily 
thank thee for so much goodness, I who 
am nothing but dust and ashes? At least, 
I wish to unite my thanksgiving to all 
those that have been rendered to thee since 
the beginning of the world, and to all 
those that will be rendered to thee dur- 
ing all eternity, repeating during my 
whole life, but especially during this med- 
itation: Gr alias a gamus Domino Deo nos- 
tro. Dignum etjustum est. Vere dignum 
etjustum est 

Act of Invocation. 

O my God, I believe all that thou hast 
taught and revealed. I believe especial- 
ly in the truth of that word thou dost ad- 
dress to me: "Ask, and you shall receive; 
seek, and you shall find; knock, and it 
shall be opened to you." This is for me 
something more than an invitation; it is a 
command. Therefore I come to thee in 
all simplicity to expose my petitions dur- 
ing this meditation. My confidence is en- 
tire and unshaken; because it rests, not on 



— 292 

myself, but on thy word which can "not 

pass away. Grant me then all I need 
worthily to converse with thee; captivate 
my attention, enlighten my intellect, en- 
liven my heart, direct and strengthen my 
will, that I may draw from this medita- 
tion all the fruits thou hast in thy mercy 
decreed to bestow on me; grant me the 
grace to learn to know thee better, to love 
thee more fervently, and to serve thee 
more faithfully. Amen. 



Summary of ttie preceding Acts. 

O my God, thou dost call me in order 
to speak to me. Eagerly I come, because 
I firmly believe that thou alone hast the 
words of eternal life. Every word thou 
dost address to me is worth more than all 
the teachings of men. Thou art here 
present and dost look down upon me with 
benevolence. My first duty is to pros- 
trate myself in thy presence to adore thee, 
by uniting my adorations with those of 
the whole heavenly Court. 



— 293 — 

But who am I, O God, to dare to ap- 
pear before thee? Without thee, I am 
nothing, i cannot conceive one good 
thought. 

Once more, what am I, O my God! A- 
ias! I am less than nothing, because I 
have offended thee. Nevertheless thou 
dost condescend again to receive thy prod- 
igal child. Forgive me, O Lord, and 
teach me in future to relapse no more. 

Be thou unceasingly blessed and thanked, 
because thou hast forgiven me and still 
dost bestow new favors upon me. 

Teach me, in this meditation, to detest 
sin more and more, and to know thee 
better, O my God, to love thee more ar- 
dently, and to serve thee more faithfully. 
Amen. 



<=^^£— 



—294 — 



Other formulas or models which may 

serve to produce the acts of the 

proximate preparation. 



I. BEFORE THE PROSTRATION. 

Invocation of the Guardian angel. 

Angel Guardian, thou who beholdest 
unceasingly the countenance of the Lord, 
who always standest in his holy presence! 
Faith teaches me that thou art given to 
me as my light, my guide, and my helper; 
assist me in the interview that 1 am about 
to have with my God. 

Invocation of the Blessed Virgin. 

Mary, my good and tender Mother, 
who didst continually ponder in thy 
heart the words of Jesus, whose life has 
been an uninterrupted prayer! assist me 
in acquitting myself of this holy exercise 
conformably to thy desire and to that of 
thy divine Son* 



— 295 — 

Act of Faith in the presence of God. 

my God, I firmly believe that thou 
art here present, that thou dost penetrate 
my whole being. I am before thee as if I 
were alone in this world. Thou dost see 
and bear me, and thou knowest my most 
secret thoughts. 

Jf the Meditation be made before the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, the following is to be added : 

O my God, I believe that thou art real- 
ly present in the Most Holy Sacrament, 
and that from the tabernacle thou dost 
actually direct towards me the same re- 
gards of tenderness which during thy mor- 
tal iife, thou didst so mercifully cast upon 
thy disciples, and even upon sinners. 

II. DURING THE PROSTRATION. 

Act of Adoration. 

Prostrate before thy infinite Majesty, I 
adore thee, O my God, as my Creator and 
sovereign Lord of all things. I acknowl- 
edge with delight thy supreme dominion 



296 



over me and all creatures. Glory, honor, 
love, and submission be to thee, the King 
of Heaven, at all times, and in all places! 
During this audience, I unite my adora- 
tion and homage with those of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Virgin, of all 
the heavenly Court, of the souls in purga- 
tory, of all the faithful upon earth, and in 
particular with those of the Brothers here 
present. 

If the Meditation be made before the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, the following is to be added: 

1 adore thee, O Jesus, present in the 
Holy Eucharist; I acknowledge thee as 
my Savior and sovereign Lord. In un- 
ion with the Angels and Saints surround- 
ing thy throne of mercy, I exclaim : 
"Praise and adoration forever be to Jesus 
in the Most Holy Sacrament! " 

III. AFTER THE PROSTRATIONS 

Act of Humility. 

But who am I, O my God, that I dare 
to appear before thee? Thou art all, and I 
urn but nothingness and weakness: I have 



— 297 — 

nothing of my own, but my infidelities. 
Without thee I can not so much as con- 
ceive a good thought. 

Act of Contrition. 

Jesus, my Savior, who didst die on 
the Cross to atone for my sins, I deplore 
my waywardness in the bitterness of ray 
soul. Have mercy on me and pardon my 
ingratitude; deign to apply to my soul the 
merits of thy holy Passion; grant that 
Imay learn, in this meditation, never more 
to relapse into sin in order that I may 
obtain mercy on the day of judgment. 

Act of Thanksgiving. 

1 thank thee, O my God, for all graces 
and benefits, thou hast bestowed on me 
until this day. I thank thee particularly 
for my vocation, and for the singular fa- 
vor thou dost presently grant me in ad- 
mitting me to this celestial interview. 

Act of Invocation. 
my God, thou didst command me to 



—,288 — 

call thee b} r the sweet name of Father. I 
come therefore, O Father, to ask of thee, 
with the most childlike confidence, what- 
ever is necessary to converse worthily 
with thee during this meditation. Capti- 
vate my attention, enlighten my under- 
standing, inflame my heart, direct and 
strengthen my will, that I may lose none 
of the fruits thou dost intend to bestow 
upon me during this holy exercise; 

Act of Union with our Lord. 

O my Savior, 1 wish to perform this ho- 
ly exercise with the intentions and dis- 
positions thou didst have when praying 
to thy heavenly Father during thy mor- 
tal life, and which thou hast still now 
whilst praying in our holy Tabernacles. 
Thou art the head, and I am a member of 
thy mystical body. Meditate, I beseech 
thee, by this member, however unworthy 
it be; speak to our heavenly Father and 
ask of him, through me and for me, what- 
ever is actually most necessary and useful 
to my soul. Amen. 



29!) 



II. BODY OF MENTAL PRAYER. 



Questions or Processes which may 

serve to produce the ordinary 

acts during: the exercise 

of mental prayer. 



The processes we have indicated are 
employed whenever we wish to studj' an 
object we have before us or in our mind. 
In mental prayer they teach us to consid- 
er the object successively in all its parts, 
from all sides, and to discover in the prim- 
itive idea secondary ideas naturally con- 
nected therewith. The questions addressed 
to our faith and reason lead naturally to 
to answers which ought to be given ; they 
are like marks which the soul consults 
whenever she is overtaken by distrac- 
tions, or they are like collections, whence 
the soul may draw thoughts whenever she 
feels powerless or dry. It is often useful 
to have the table of these questions before 
one's self during meditation; for certain 
mind§, it is the most effectual means of 



300 



retaining or bringing back the attention 
to the subject of mental prayer in mo- 
ments of trouble and agitation. 

We repeat here what has been said 
when it was question of the acts of prep- 
aration; it is not necessary, it is not even 
always possible, that, about every truth, 
fact, or point, we put the entire series of 
questions* enumerated in the table. What 
is essential is, that the soul, by means of 
these questions, finds wherewith to occu- 
py herself and that she does not herself 
open the door for strange thoughts. 

As to the manner of passing from the 
questions to the answers, and thus, to the 
considerations, affections, and resolutions, 
we refer you to the directions of the 
Guide; the table of contents permits each 
one to find with the greatest facility the 
informations which he desires. 

We likewise refer to the Guide those 
who would be sometimes embarrassed a- 
bout the choice of a subject for menial 
prayer. We, however, think it not use- 
less to sum up here, in a table, the direc- 
tions interspersed- throughout the Guide.- 



304 



Questions for JJIental Prayer. 

1. Who said or did this? — For whom? 

— For what purpose? 

2. What lesson should I learn from 
this truth or this fact? — What is its signi- 
fication, its extent? — What are its prac- 
tical consequences? 

3. Do I adhere to this teaching? — Was 
it the rule of ray appreciations and con- 
duct in the past? — Am I even now dis- 
posed to take it for the rule of my con- 
duct? 

4. How did our Savior, the Blessed 
Virgin, and the saints think and act with 
regard to this? — What difference exists 
between their conduct and mine? — Why? 

5. What does our Lord ask of me on 
this subject? — With what right does he 
make this demand (as our Creator, Ee- 
deemer, Master, Father, Friend, etc.)? — 
What does the Blessed Virgin ask of me? 

— With what right? 

6. Is it not wise, honorable, advanta- 
geous, and necessary for me to do that 



302 



which God and the Blessed Virgin ask? 
— Is it not foolish, etc... to refuse? 

7. Lastly, what must I practice or re- 
form at once? — What would a damned 
soul do, what would it advise me to do in 
regard to this, if it could return to this 
world? — A saint? — What should I wish to 
have done at the hour of my death? 

ADVICE. 

You will put to yourself or repeat these 
questions several times, or some of these 
questions, proper to each point, truth, or 
event about which you are going to medi- 
tate. You will easily modify the form 
of these questions, if necessary, accord- 
ing as the object is an event, a truth, a 
maxim, etc. When the question has been 
put, the answer presents itself, as it were, 
spontaneously; it rests on faith, on reason, 
on the testimony of men, on experience, 
etc. 

Pause at each answer, that it may pene- 
trate your soul; to this end: 1. multiply 
the acts of faith on this answer; 2. ani- 



;o.3 



mate yourself, according to the case, with 
sentiments of sorrow, of firm purpose, of 
gratitude, of admiration, etc.; 3. give ut- 
terance to these sentiments, and make use 
of the direct discourse when speaking to 
God, to our Lord, to the most blessed 
Virgin, to the saints; 4. above all, pray, 
invoke, supplicate, etc. 

Texts or subjects of meditation. 

1. The doctrines of the saints on men- 
tal prayer, reproduced in the Guide. 
Nearly all the chapters of the Guide, and 
the third chapter especially furnish nu- 
merous texts for meditation. The table of 
contents permits you to choose a subject 
according to the needs of your soul. 

2. The ordinary prayers of the Chris- 
tian ; and among these principally the 
Pater, the Ave, and, above all, the Credo. 
(See Guide, arts. 403-418.) 

3. The hymn Veni Creator, the prose 
Veni Sancte Spiritus, and the invocation 
Veni Sancte. 

4. The acts of faith, hope, charity, con- 



304 



trition, oblation, adoration, thanksgiving, 
etc.; the Gloria Patri. 

5. The acts that are made before and 
after Communion. 

6. The prayers of the Mass. 

7. The mysteries of our holy Beligion, 
particularly the mysteries of the Holy 
Kosary, the other mysteries of the life of 
our Savior, of the Blessed Virgin, of the 
saints, and, above all, the Passion, the 
Holy Eucharist, and the Sacred Heart. 

8. The litany of the most Holy Name 
of Jesus. 

9. The litany of the most Holy Virgin, 
the Ave Maris Stella, the Magnificat, the 
Salve Regina. the Memorare, the Sub tuum y 
and the other antiphons in honor of the 
Immaculate Virgin. 

10. The litany of All Saints, and par- 
ticularly the invocations that terminate it. 

11. Holy Writ; of the Old Testament 
the Psalms, and some biblical histories; 
of the New Testament, the sermon on the 
Mount (Matt, v-vn), Our Lord's dis- 
course after the Last Supper (St. John 
xiii-xvtii), the parables, such as that of 



—^305 — 

the Prodigal Son (Luke xr), of the Phar- 
isee and the Publican (Luke xvm). 

12. The following of Christ, the Spir- 
itual Combat, the writings of St. Alphon- 
sus of Liguori, etc. 

13. For priests, the prayers of the or- 
dination, in the Manual of the Ordinations. 

14. For religious, the formula of their 
religious profession, their Eules. 

15. Lastly, for all, the prayers of the 
Eitual for administering Baptism, Con- 
firmation, Extreme Unction, and the 
prayers for the agonizing; finally, the 
prayers and the Office for the Dead. 




— 306 



III. CONCLUSION OF MENTAL PRAYER. 



Formulas or models of some acts 

which ordinarily form tlie 

conclusion of meditation. 



What baa been said of the formulas of 
the introduction, applies without reserve 
to the formulas of the conclusion. Among 
the acts of the conclusion is the renewal 
of the firm purpose. Every good resolu- 
tion should be: 1. precise; 2. personal; 
3. immediate; 4. firm; 5. constant. (See 
Guide, 263-268.) 

Act of Thanksgiving. 

O my God! I thank thee for the audi- 
ence with which thou hast honored me; I 
thank thee for all the lights and good sen- 
timents thou hast imparted to me, and for 
all the good resolutions thou hast suggest- 
ed to me. 



— 307 — 

Act of Regret. 

O my God ! I ask pardon for all the 
carelessness of which I have made myself 
guilty during this holy exercise. I pro- 
foundly humble myself on their account. 
Have mercy on me, O my God, and do 
not permit that rny negligence deprives 
me of the graces thy goodness had pre- 
pared for me. 

Renewal of Firm Purpose. 

O my God! I renew, with better deter- 
mination than ever, the resolution of. ; 

and in order to be faithful to it, I will a- 
dopt the following means 

Spiritual Bouquet. 

For my spiritual bouquet I shall take 

these words I will often repeat 

them during the day and especially on 
this or that occasion. 

Colloquy. 

O my God! bless again this resolution 
before I withdraw, that I may constantly 



308 






remain faithful to it. Dearest Virgin Ma- 
ry, my good and tender Mother, into thy 
hands I deposit the fruits of this medita- 
tion as also my other spiritual goods; pre- 
serve and increase them, that thy child 
may become less unworthy of thee. St. 
obtain for me the grace of fideli- 
ty to my resolution. Dear Guardian An- 
gel, remove far from me every cause of 
dissipation, which would expose me to 
lose the fruits of mv meditation. 




B09 — 



ANALYTICAL TABLE. 

OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

What the Guide propones to itself and to whom it is 
fid dressed. 

1. The Guide offer* its counsels to those who wish to 
learn to make mental prayer. — 2. Is a Guide necessary to 
pray well ?— 3. Are there not many simple and upright 
souls who, without a method, have succeeded in making 
excellent meditations ? — 4. God wishes that in order 
to attain an object, we should make use of the means 
which lead to it; this principle applies to meditation. — 
5. It is one thing to make meditation in certain circum- 
stances; it is a different thing to make it in a regular 
manner, at determined hours.— 6. Regular meditation is 
like an art which has its method. — 7. This method is 
the ensemble of rules which facilitate the exercise of 
meditation. — - 8. The Guide insists more than the ordi- 
nary methods upon the excellence, the advantages, and 
the facility of meditation, that this exercise may be 
loved and esteemed. — 9. It tries to lay open in a simple 
manner the teachings of the saints on this subject. — 
10. On this account, it avoids in the exposition whatev- 
er has the appearance of a scientific treatise. — 11. It 



— 310 — 

likewise removes whatever might appear complicated 
in the classification. — 12. It is distinguished by the 
stress it lays on the role of faith in the exercise of men- 
tal prayer. —13. No one has spoken more highly of this 
r61e of faith, than our Divine Master. — 14. The Apos- 
tles, and especially St. Paul, were the faithful echoes of 
our Lord. — 15. Every method speaks of the connection 
between prayer and faith ; no one insists on it more 
strongly than we propose to do. — 16. The spirit of faith 
alone can make the exercise of mental prayer possible. 
— 17. A good will is the only condition for succeeding in 
mental prayer. — 18. To obtain this good will it suffices 
to ask it of God. — 19 & 20. The Guide is addressed es- 
pecially to generous yonng men, to Christian mothers, 
to earnest fathers, to religious souls, and to priests. — 

21. What progress would yon already have made, if you 
had always applied yourself diligently to meditation ! — 

22. You will be a man of mental prayer, if you never 
cease to wish it. — 23. It is never too late, but always 
urgent to give yourself to it. — 24. Say therefore: 1 shall 
become a man of meditation, because I will it. — 
25. There will be question of that kind of mental prayer 
only, in which all can succeed. 

CHAPTER II. 

In what prayer essentially consists. — What distin- 
guishes mental prayer from vocal prayer. — Mental 
prayer considered as a regular exercise. — Facility of this 
exercise. 

26. Prayer is an act by which we elevate our soul 
towards God. — 27. It is an act of piety and humility, 
by which the soul turns towards God. (St. Augustine.)— 
28. This act may be a simple thought, a remembrance, a 
desire, etc. — 29. Prolonged more or less, it becomes a 
conversation with God. — 30. Prayer depends on the 
virtue of religion. —31. It is peculiar to prayer that it 



— 311 — 

honors God, by the request or expectation of some fa- 
. vors. — 32. Difference between mental and vocal 
prayer. — 33. Better to understand this difference, we 
must not stop at the etymology; it is not the articulated 
word and the tone of voice that distinguishes it from 
the other. — 34. Mental prayer can be made even in a 
loud voice. — 35. In mental prayer the soul speaks to 
God without making use of previously prepared formu- 
las. — 36. In vocal prayer she speaks to God by employ- 
ing prepared formulas. — 37. Both methods of prayer 
are very excellent. — 38. To think of God or the things 
of God, with the design of rendering him onr homage, 
constitutes the element of every mental prayer. — 
39. Considered in its constitutive element, it is the prin- 
ciple or soul of every true prayer, of every vocal prayer. 
— 40. St. Francis of Sales calls this indispensable ele- 
ment, the interior icorol. — 41. When this interior word 
is wanting, there is neither prayer nor action of super- 
natural life. — 42. When permanent, we have an unin- 
terrupted prayer. — 43. This continual prayer is the 
same as the exercise of the presence of God and purity 
of intention. — 44. To behold God everywhere is to pray 
continually. — 45. Such was the life of Mary and Jo- 
seph at Nazareth; such is the life of faith. — 46. Thoughts 
of St. Francis of Sales on this subject. — 47. Continual 
prayer is possible and even easy; otherwise our Lord 
would not have prescribed it for every one — 48. Ac- 
cording to several Fathers of the Church, these words of 
our Lord: We ought always to pray mean, we ought 
often to pray. — 49 & 50. If continual prayer is the 
breath of the soul, the particular exercise of prayer, es- 
pecially of mental prayer, is its nourishment. — 51 & 52. 
This exercise ol ! mental prayer is neither impossible nor 
even difficult, otherwise the Holy Fathers would not so 
universally have recommended it, Holy Church and the 
Founders of religious orders would not have prescribed 
it to all religious. — 53. He who believes mental pray- 
er to be difficult, has a \vron<r idea of it. — 54. Let us 



31: 



recall to mind the simple acts which compose mental 
prayer. — 55. To produce a number of these acts, is to 
make mental prayer. — 56. How often do not good and 
simple Christians make mental prayer, without being 
aware of it! — 57. Some examples. — 58. The sincere 
wish of remaining in ijious communication with God 
suffices for us to constitute the state of mental prayer. 
— 59. Thoughts of St. Augustine on this subject. — 60. 
The time devoted to mental prayer is, after all, the time 
most usefully employed. — 61. Mental prayer is espe- 
cially necessary to those taken up by serious and nu- 
merous occupations; advice of St. Bernard to blessed 
Eugenius III. — 62 & 63. On this account mental prayer is 
prescribed to all religious as an exercise of the Rule. — 
64. The directions of the Rule concerning mental pray- 
er relate to its time, place, duration, frequency, and to 
some other details. — 65. Considered as an exercise of 
the Rule, mental prayer changes neither in nature and 
form, nor in its object. — 66. Definition of mental 
prayer, considered as a regular exercise. — 67. The ob- 
ject of mental prayer is, therefore, to conduct us to our 
end, i.e. to make us know, love, and serve God, and 
thus obtain everlasting life. 

CHAPTER III. 

Why mental prayer takes the first rank among religious 
exercises. 

68. The better you will know the excellence and the 
advantages of meditation, the more you will apply your- 
self to it. — 69. We collect here what the saints have told 
us on tliis point; these maxims are excellent subjects of 
meditation or of the mixed mental prayer. — 70. The 
spiritual exercises should be the privileged creditors. — 
71. Mental prayer is the shortest road to perfection. 
(St. Ignatius.) —72. As a fish cannot live out of the 
water, so a Christian cannot live without prayer. (St. 



— 313 — 

Augustine. 1 ) — 7;J. Pray, pray, pray, and above all, rec- 
ommend prayer. (St. Alphonsusof Liguori.) — 74. With- 
out the exercise of mental prayer, we know neither 
what we are and do, nor what Ave have to fear. {Idem.) 
— 75. Without prayer, no salvation; without meditation, 
no prayer. (Idem.)— 76. If we devote ourselves to medi- 
tation, we cannot persevere in sin. (Idem.) — 77. It is 
the spirit of mental prayer that the demon most fears 
and seeks to destro}- in soul;?. (St. Philip of Xeri.) — 78. 
Mental prayer cures lukewarmness ; — 79, saves from hell ; 
— 80, is the common source of all virtues. (St. Vincent of 
Paul, St. Augustine, St. Teresa.) — 81. He who is no 
man of mental prayer, will never arrive at a high de- 
gree of sanctity. (St. Aloysius Gonzaga.) — 82. Mental 
prayer comprises the exercise of every virtue. (Suarez.) 
— 83. God gives his choice graces to men of meditation 
only. Example of St. Francis of Assisium. — 84. Men- 
tal prayer makes the soul fit to receive the impressions 
of grace. (St. Francis of Sales.) — 85. Everything may 
be wanting to us; but if we preserve the practice of 
mental prayer, it suffices. — 813. Mental prayer consti- 
tutes our highest honor. — 87. Words of St. Augustine. 

CHAPTER IV. 

How tie are to make mental prayer^ and^jirst^ how we 

are to dispose ourselves for it in our daily life by the "re- 
mote preparation, ," 

88. Mental prayer is a divine audience; this term of 
comparison will frequently occur. — 89. There are cer- 
tain things to be done, before, during, and after the 
audience: hence, three parts: the preparation, the body; 
and the conclusion of mental prayer. — 90. The audience 
with God is something more than an audience with a 
Pope or sovereign; we must, therefore, prepare for it. — 
91. The remote preparation removes whatever could 
displease God. and procures whatever disposes him favor- 



— 314— 

ably. — 92. The first condition is to have a true idea of 
this audience and to esteem it.— 93. Principal obstacles 
which hinder us from making mental prayer well. — 94. 
The lirst obstacle is sin, — 95, especially complacency in 
sin, — 96, affection for certain sins not very grave in 
themselves. — 97. The second obstacle is the slavery of 
the senses and passions. — 98. The third is, immortifi- 
cation of the tongue and dissipation. — 99 & 100. The soul 
disposes itself for mental prayer by mortification and 
humility,— 101 & 102, by the habitual remembrance of the 
presence of God (Rev. Father Chaminade.), — 103, by 
frequent recourse to ejaculatory prayers. (St. Francis of 
Sales.) 

CHAPTER V. 

How ice must prepare ourselves for mental prayer 
during those moments that precede the exercise, or how to 
make the "proximate preparation" 

104. There are arrangements to be made at the mo- 
ment we go to the audience. — 105. The audience has a de- 
termined objectjwhich we call the subject of meditation. 
—106. Timorous persons will preferably meditate on the 
goodness and mercy of God. — 107. Frequently we will 
come back on the great truths of salvation, on the man- 
ner in which we acquit ourselves of the exercises of piety, 
on the life of our Savior and of the saints. — 108. It is also 
useful to conform to the mysteries honored by Holy 
Church, and to the feasts celebrated by her. — 109. The 
meditation books may be of great use, but we ought not 
servilely to confine ourselves to them. — 110. The choice 
of the subject depends on the disposition of those who 
make meditation. The masters of the spiritual life dis- 
tinguish three states in the Christian life : the state of the 
beginners, that of the intermediate, and that of the per- 
fect. — 111. The beginners are those whe endeavor to 
despoil themselves of the old man ; subjects of medita- 
tion suitable to them. —112. The intermediate are those 



— 315 — 

who seek to clothe themselves with Jesus Christ by the 
imitation of his virtues: subjects suitable to them. — 113. 
The perfect are those who endeavor to unite themselves 
more and more intimately with God by the thought of 
his presence, the purity of their intention, and their 
conformity to his holy will: subjects suitable to them. — 
114. These three states are called the purgative, the il- 
luminative, and the unitive way. It must, however, be 
remarked that this distinction is not at all absolute. 
— 115. Punctuality for the time of the audience. — 
116. The hours most favorable to mental prayer, are in 
the morning and evening. — 117. Mental prayer con- 
sidered as an exercise of the Rule, should, as much as 
possible, be made in community.— 118. When the saints 
were prevented from retiring into solitude, they knew 
how to be recollected and to pray in the midst of tumult. 
119. The indispensable condition for praying well, is 
solitude of the heart. — 120. But according to the testi- 
mony of our Savior, the proper place, or the house of 
prayer, is the church, the chapel, or oratory. 

CHAPTER VL 

What is to be done at the beginning of mental prayer, 
or in what the "immediate preparation," or the "prayer 

of faith and of the presence of God" consists. 

121. The various acts which form the immediate prep- 
aration. — 122. Invocation of the Holy Ghost and the 
most holy Virgin. — 123. How the Holy Ghost comes to 
our assistance. — 124. Act of faith in the presence and 
mission of our guardian angel; invocation of the most 
holy Virgin, of the guardian angels of the sanctuary, St. 
Joseph, etc — 125. Act of faith in the presence of God; 
this is the most important act and should never be o- 
mitted. — 126. This act is simple and easy and no im- 
aginary supposition is to be made; it suffices to see what 
is real .— 127. Our union with Jesus.— 128. Jesus prays 



—316 — 

in us, for us, and we pray to him. (St. Augustine 1 .) — 
129. Jesus makes but one with us. — 130. Can there be 
found a more excellent prayer ? — 181. It is not the 
presence of God which is wanting to us, but the atten- 
tion to this presence. — 132. It is then useful to recall 
to mind some texts of our holy books concerning this 
truth. — 133. If we had but a little faith, the presence 
of God would occupy us more vividly than that of any 
creature. — 134. What frequently causes our want of 
success in mental prayer, is the lack of preparation, and 
what is most wanting in the preparation, is the act of 
faith in the presence of God. — 135. This act may and 
ought to vary according to the state of our soul and the 
end of meditation. — 136. What, according to faith, we 
are before God. — 137. We must always consider God 
as our Father. — 138. It is the Holy Ghost himself who 
produces this disposition in us. Holy Church also ex- 
pressly invites us thereto. — 139. Mental prayer is a 
family duty, the duty of every well-bred child. — HO. 
This sentiment of filial piety produces in us at the same 
time, humility and confidence: essential dispositions. — 
141. God is especially sensible of the filial confidence 
we testify for him. — 142. This confidence varies in its 
expression according to the character of each one. — 143. 
The act of faith in the presence of God produces many 
other acts. — 144. These are acts of faith in the differ- 
ent attributes of God. — 145. They are transformed in- 
to acts of admiration, annihilation, submission, etc.— 146. 
All these acts revolve on this two-fold truth: God is all, 
and T am nothing. — 147. These acts may be prolonged 
indefinitely, eveu to the close of mental prayer. — 148. 
We make mental prayer, in the first place, to render to 
God the homage due to him ; — 149, secondly, to speak to 
him, and to hear him speak. (St. Francis of Sales.) — 150« 
If we are not able to say anything, we can always remain 
in the presence of God, and this suffices. {Idem.) — 151. 
It may even prove to our greater advantage not to be 
able to say anything. {Idem,) — 152. We should esteem 



- 317 — 



ourselves happy to be allowed to figure before our Lord 
as a statue. (Idem.) — 153. Mary Magdalen said noth- 
ing when sitting at the feet of Jesus and weeping over 
her sins; the Blessed Virgin, by the Cross, did not speak 
a word. Does not the greatest happiness of the angels 
consist in enjoying the presence of God? — 154. Do not 
therefore, fear to remain at the prayer of faith and of 
God's presence; it is an excellent prayer. — 155. Re- 
peat then, with the angels, the words of the Preface 
and Sanctus of the Mass. Could you do anything bet- 
ter than what the angels are doing ? — 156. If these acts 
of faith in the presence of God are prolonged to the 
close of mental prayer be nowise troubled about it. — 
157. Before the most holy Sacrament, the act of faith 
in the presence of God takes a special character. — 158. 
If, then, you taste the sweetness of the presence of God, 
go no farther. — 159. This manner of meditation is an 
act, or rather a series of interior acts, and not a state of 
indifference and idleness. — 160. Do you wish to be 
preserved from illusion? Examine into the fruits of 
your meditation. — 161. As to the exterior deportment, 
he who takes part in a public service ought to conform 
to the liturgical prescriptions; he who prays in private, 
is guided by respect towards Almighty God; he who is 
a member of a community, conforms to established us- 
age. -162. The attitude of the body greatly influences the 
sentiments of the soul. (St. Augustine.)— 163. Thoughts 
of St. Francis of Sales on this point: we should pray al- 
ways with respect.— 164. We must pray with our whole 
being. — 165. Our Lord is a model for us in this matter. 

CHAPTER. VII. 

In what the -principal part, called the body of medita- 
tion" consists^ and how the subject of meditation is natu- 
rally divided into several points. 

166. How the subject is exposed. — 167. First and 
second prelude. — 16K. The object is a truth, a fact or a 



— 318 — 

mixed subject. — 139. In our explanations, it is' gener- 
ally understood that the subject is a truth. — 170. In 
order to grasp the subject better, the attention is suc- 
cessively drawn, first to one point, then to another, etc.; 
hence, the division of the subject into several points. — 
171. Meditation books generalh present the subject as 
divided into several points, but you must not consider 
yourself restricted by them. — 172. Besides, the points 
to which we should adhere in the same subject vary ac- 
cording to circumstances. — 173. The soul applies her 
faculties variously according to the nature of the subject 
and the object she proposes to herself. — 174. All the 
faculties of the soul have reference to these three prin- 
cipal ones: the intellect (understanding, mind), the sen- 
sibility (heart), and the will. When the soul operates, 
she applies all or one of her faculties to the object she 
has in view. — 175. Mental prayer is such a complicat- 
ed operation that all the faculties of the soul find occa- 
sion to work at it. — 176. In ascetic language, the acts 
of the intellect, heart, and will, take respectively the 
names of considerations, affections, and resolutions. — 
177. These three kinds of operations are ranged in the 
order we have observed, but this arangement must 
neither be rigorously nor exclusively adhered to in 
practice. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

How to make the "considerations," and in what the 
"prayer of meditation" consists. 

178. The considerations form the chief matter of the 
prayer of meditation. — 179 & 180. Why we ought es- 
pecially to meditate on the truths of faith. — 181. We 
must however, not neglect the light of reason. — 182. 
Meditation, or considerations, are always useful, and 
often necessary, especially when made on the main 
truths of our religion. — 188. For want of reflection^ 



319 



man does not, know himself,— 184, does not know God,— 
185, does not appreciate his character as a child of God ; 
—186, Jesns Christ is neither known nor listened to;— 187, 
the Gospel is neither known nor appreciated; — 188, 
sin is not feared, and worldly maxims are followed; — 
139, our conduct is most frequently absurd. — 190. It 
will be too late one day to make these considerations, 
and to say: Ergo errammm. — 191. One single truth 
constantly meditated on would suffice to lead us to our 
end. — 192. Why do so many persons allow themselves 
to be dragged along by the current of opinions? Because 
they do not reflect. — 193. Without meditation we can 
be neither men nor Christians. — 194. But is it easy to 
meditate, to make considerations? — 195. The least cul- 
tivated intelligence can do what God requires in medi- 
tation. — 196. Example of St. Felix of Cantalicio. — 
197. You are asked to do in meditation only what you 
already do in intellectual labor. — 19-<. Consider, then, 
the proposed truth, with the eyes of faith and reason. 
— 199. If you can go no farther, this suffices; but often 
it will be easy for you to prolong and vary your con- 
siderations. — 200. Study the life of our Lord, of the 
blessed Virgin and the saints. — 201. Lay stress on the 
motives which you have for practicing virtue. — 202. 
Especially take practical resolutions and examine 
your present dispositions, — 203, your past dispos- 
itions, — 201, anticipate the f uture, .— 205, for true 
meditation must teach you to know yourselves and to 
become such as God wishes you to be. — 206. Besides 
there are rules for your direction, collections, from 
which to draw the developments. — 207. There are 
questions which we may put to ourselves before each 
object: quis,quicl, etc. — 208. The answers to these 
and similar questions constitute the considerations. 
209. Outside of the ordinary resources, we can, in this 
part of mental prayer, dispose of all God has revealed 
to us: what a vast field! — 210. It is always easy to 
consult God and receive an answer from him. — 211. 



— 320 -- 

God docs not want us to neglect human means, the in- 
tellectual labor. — 212. Yet without God we can do 
nothing. — 213. Hence the necessity of having re- 
e'ourse to God by frequent invocations. — 214. When 
we humbly acknowledge that God gives the under- 
standing, we always succeed in making considerations. 

— 215. Do not confound meditation with the study of 
the subject. — 216. Be not solicitous for great thoughts 
and sublime ideas. — 217. Therefore courage and con- 
fidence. 

CHAPTER IX. 

How the affections are produced, and in what the 
"prayer of supplication" consists. 

218. In every well-made meditation, the mind acts on 
the heart and produces affections. — 219. The name of 
affections is given to various emotions and inclinations 
of the soul. — 220. We distinguish spontaneous affec- 
tions, and affections voluntary in their nature or causes. 

— 221 & 222. How the affections may vary. — 223. The 
affections are acts of humility and confidence, of re- 
nunciation and resignation, and especially acts of 
love. — 224. If the affections present themselves, they 
must not be stopped; thus the affections are added to the 
considerations, and the resolutions to the affections. 
(St. Francis of Sales.) — 225. Were they to take up 
the whole time, they should not be thrust back. (Idem.) 

— 226. God speaks to us in the affections, and produ- 
ces in us these divers sentiments. (St. Vincent of Paul.) 

— 227. It is therefore not proper to oppose the action 
of God. — 228. There are, however, sensible affections 
which we must distrust. — 229. Certain sensible at- 
tractions are graces. — 230. It is often necessary to 
strive to produce affections. — 231. We, of course, 
speak here of affections inasmuch as they depend on 
our will. — 232. One thing is always in our power, viz. 



39 



21 



the invocations, or prayer. — 233. In mental prayer 
it is preferable to all else to make frequent petitions or 
requests. (St. Alphonsus of Liguori.) — 234. Hence the 
principal fruit of mental prayer lies in the prayer of 
supplication. {Idem.) — 235. How consoling to state 
that the most useful act of meditation is also the most 
easy. — 236. Is there a condition in life in which this 
simple prayer he not easy. — 237. Adhere therefore, on 
the advice of St. Alphonsus of Liguori, to its practice. 
— 238. It is also the practice of Holy Church. — 239. 
Keep for your own use a collection, a spiritual quiver 
of ejaculatory prayers. — 240. Since God is present, 
take the habit of speaking directly to him. — 241. Some 
examples of direct invocations. — 242. In the Gospel, 
the considerations are short, the invocations, vivid and 
frequent. — 243. Can it ever occur that you have noth- 
ing more to ask of God? — 244. How many subjects of 
urgent supplication do you not find in yourself ! — 245. 
Put no bounds to your petitions and desires. — 246. 
Increase your supplications in favor of all noble and 
holy works. — 247. Practice the apostolate of prayer; 
prayer obtains more than mere preaching. — 248. In 
the greatest abandonment, it is always easy to make 
acts of humility. — 249. The act of humility becomes 
the easier, the weaker you are; therefore no excuse. — 
250. The least act of humility during meditation is 
worth more than all the science of the world. (St. Te- 
resa.) — 251. Practice of the Saints, especially of St. 
Francis of Assisium; example of David. — 252. Xever 
fail to join confidence with humility, thereby you fall 
back on the prayer of supplication. — 253. Excellence 
of this kind of mental prayer. — 254. When the heart 
belongs to God, all belongs to him. — 255. The utility 
of mental prayer consists less in the meditation, than 
in the affections, prayers, and resolutions. 

GUIDE. 21 



CHAPTER X. 

How "resolution*''' are formed, and in what the 
"prayer of union?' consists. 



256. The purposes and decisions of the will are 
called resolutions. — 257. The germs of the resolutions 
are already contained in the considerations and affec- 
tions. — 258.. God must act on the will, otherwise it is 
powerless. — 259. The action of the will is decisive and 
necessary. — 260. The resolution is a complete and the 
most personal act of mental prayer. — 261. We must 
not fail to devote some moments to it. — 262. That the 
resolutions may produce some fruits, they must be rec- 
ommended to God and the most holy Virgin. — 268. 
That a resolution he good, it should be: precise and de- 
termined, — 264 & 265, personal, — 266, immediate, or 
proximate, — 267, firm, — 268, persevering, or con- 
stantly renewed until satisfactory results be obtained. 
— 269. The principal quality is evidently the conform- 
ity to God's holy will. — 270. Hence all the parts of 
mental prayer verge to this conclusion, and all the 
kinds of prayer have their consummation in the 
prayer of union with the will of God. — 271. Union 
of grace is in proportion' to the union of our will 
with the will of God. — 272. By the union of wills 
we become completely the organs of Jesus Christ. — 
273. This is what, with Kev. F. Olier, we have called 
working in Jesus. — 274. We could not go beyond this: 
it is the Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in ccelo et in terra. — 
275. The prayer of union, such as we understand it, is 
the most perfect and meritorious. — 276. This is the 
doctrine of our divine Master. — 277. It is the term, or 
perfection of the other kinds. — 278. Let us therefore 
apply ourselves to the prayer of union. 



— 323 



( HAPTEK XI. 



"About the length of time" to be devoted to the 
'different parts of mental prayer." 



279. When we have thus meditated on a first thought 
we pass over to a second one. — 280. How long it is 
necessary to stop at each point or at each part of men- 
tal prayer. — 281. The greatest freedom must prevail 
in the service of God; — 282, it therefore depends on 
the disposition of the soul. — 288. Would it not be well, 
however, to determine somewhat approximately the 
time to be allotted to each part? — 284. Be not the 
slave of any method. — 285. If we have arrived at the 
end of our journey, we need not inquire whether 
we have taken the way pointed out. (St. Francis of 
Sales.) — 286. Let us act towards God as a child to- 
wards its father. — 287. Thus our mental prayer will 
sometimes be a prayer of meditation, — 288, sometimes 
a prayer of supplication, — 289, at other times, a 
prayer of union or of conformity to the will of God. — 
290. What always ought to be found in you. — 291. 
The method favors personal action as well as the action 
of the Holy Ghost. 



CHAPTER XII, 



How to end mental prayer, or how to make "the 
conclusion." 



292. The interview ends with the acts required by 
the simplest notions of propriety ; —293, act of thanks- 
giving for favors granted during prayer; — 294, act of 
regret for neglects of which we have made ourselves 



— 324— 

guilty; — 295, of firm purpose;— 296, the spiritual 
bouquet; — 297, the colloquy. — 298. We ought to act 
like a man carrying great riches. (St. Francis of Sales.) 
— 299. We must, by some vocal prayers, recommend 
these spiritual riches to God, the most holy Virgin, and 
our protectors, and desire that the will of God be 
done in all things. — 300. Some formulas of these vo- 
cal prayers. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



How to proceed, when the subject of the meditation 
is a fact, instead of a truth. 



301. The subject of mental prayer may be either a 
fact or a mixed subject. — 302. The actions and words 
of our Lord nearly always constitute a mixed subject. 
— 303 & 304. The considerations, affections, and resolu- 
tions are pretty nearly the same, as when we meditate 
on a truth. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Hoiv to proceed in the exercise called mi, red mental 
prayer. 



305. Mixed mental prayer is at once vocal and men- 
tal.— 306. The subject is chosen from a book, or 
it is some vocal prayer. — 307. We read a passage, 
or pass over in our mind some portion of the pray- 
er, and proceed for the considerations, affections, and 
resolutions as indicated above. — 308. Then we proceed 
to a second thonght, and do again the same. — 309. 



32: 



St. Francis of Sales strongly recommends this kind of 
meditation; — 310, likewise St. Alphonsus of Liguori and 
St. Philip of Neri. — 311. Avoid changing meditation 
into a reading. — 312. There is a difference between 
meditation and spiritual reading; — 313, we must not 
therefore simply read instead of meditating. 



CHAPTER XV. 

How mental prayer may be combined with other exer- 
cises of piety. 

314. Mental prayer may be made in the form of the va- 
rious exercises of piety. — 315. The preparation is made 
according to the indicated form, but more briefly;— 316, 
likewise the considerations, affections, and resolutions. 

— 317. Let us take some examples: Benediction with 
the Blessed Sacrament ; how much does the presence of 
our Lord facilitates the acts of meditation! — 318. We 
converse directly with him. — 319. The visit to the 
Blessed Sacrament is, by nature, a divine audience and 
an excellent meditation. — 320. Can a more moving 
subject be found, than the Way of the Cross?— 321. You 
may make use of a book, but make, above all, personal 
reflections. — 322. It is here especially that you should 
address to yourself the questions indicated in art. 207. 

— 323. An instruction, a conference, is equally favor- 
able to the acts of mental prayer. — 324. Holy Mass is, 
in its essence, an excellent subject of meditation. — 325. 
In the sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus himself prays for us 
on the altar. — 326. We cannot, at that time, ask too 
much of him. — 327. Meditation gives us a penetration 
into this mystery of faiths— 328 & 329. But the incom- 
parable mental prayer is Holy Communion . — 330. In 
this kind of meditation, it is important to make the acts 
of the conclusion. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



How and why the examination of mental prayer is 
made,. 



831. The examination of mental prayer is, in some 
way, a part of the exercise. — 332. This examination is 
the shortest way to arrive at making mental prayer 
well. — 333. It is necessary to fix a moment for that ex- 
ercise. — 334. You w r ill ask your guardian angel to as- 
sist you. — 335. The examination should embrace all 
the parts of mental prayer: — 336, the preparation, the 
considerations, the affections, the resolutions, especially 
the particular, or principal resolution.— 337. It is very 
useful to make a diligent search of the ordinary defect 
of our meditations ; — 338, to impose a penance on one's 
self for every meditation badly made; — 339, to keep 
an account of our mental prayer. — 340 & 341. Resume 
of questions for the examination of mental prayer. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



Why God permits us to encounter difficulties dur- 
ing mental prayer. — Which are the ordinary difficul- 
ties and how ive can triumph over them. 



342. To be complete, there remains a word to be said 
about difficulties; — 343, for mental prayer has its diffi- 
culties, not only because it is a labor,— 344, but partic- 
ularly, because the devil wants to hinder us from per- 
forming mental prayer. — 345. He attacks us on our 
w r eak side.— 346. These difficulties are, like all tempta- 
tions, inevitable and useful; — 347, above all, to keep 
us in humility. — 348. There are three kinds of obsta- 



32' 



cles or difficulties : distractions, dryness, and illusions. 

— 349. A distraction is a want of attention in the soul 
to the subject which should occupy her. — 350. Distrac- 
tions are voluntary or involuntary; the latter are nei- 
ther guilty nor injurious. — 351. # They may be volunta- 
ry either directly or indirectly. — 352. They are not 
voluntary, if, from the beginning, we direct our inten- 
tion towards making a good meditation. (St. Thomas.) 

— 353. Dissipation of the mind is the most common 
cause of our distractions. — 354. In this state the soul 
is unable to recollect herself , to reflect. (Parable of the 
sower.) — 355. We must combat dissipation in its cau- 
ses. — 356. We must, above all, guard against infrac- 
tions of silence. — 357. To remove these causes, is to ef- 
fect the disappearance of most of the distractions. — 
358. Still some of them will remain. — 359. We are not 
responsible for these distractions as long as we are not 
aware of them. — 360. Battle is victory. — 361 & 362. 
Should even this struggle last the whole time, medita- 
tion would not thereby be defective; it is the meditation 
of patience, which is very useful. (St. Francis of Sales.) 

— 363. Make use even of some exterior means, as, look- 
ing at the tabernacle, taking a book, etc.; but, above 
all, have frequent recourse to faith. — 364. Never be 
discouraged; the prayer of supplication is always possi- 
ble to you. — 365. Dryness or aridity is that state of the 
soul in which she finds herself uuable to produce the 
acts of mental prayer. 366. Voluntary dryness is com- 
bated first by removing the causes, — 367, then directly 
by acts of faith, humility, confidence, etc. — 368. Dry- 
ness may continue without any fault of ours; the great- 
est saints have passed through this painful trial. — 369. 
In that case, we must not give way to discourage inent; 
example of St. Teresa. — 370. In aridities, God tries 
those whom he loves. (St. Teresa.) — 371. In such a 
state, look on yourself as a beggar in the presence of 
God and the saints. (St. Philip of Xeri.)— 372. We prof- 
it most in aridities. (St. Alphonsus of Liguori.) — 373. 



328 — 



As a mother refuses sugar to a sick child, thus God re- 
fuses the spiritual sweets to those whom they might in- 
jure. (St. Francis of Sales.) — 374. We may, neverthe- 
less, sweetly complain to our Lord. (Idem.) — 375. The 
soul that kept herself in the presence of God, has been 
nourished with a substantial food, and the object of 
meditation is attained. — 376. When the demon can- 
not otherwise divert us from meditation, he tries to 
draw us into illusions. — 377. A first illusion consists in 
our believing that we shall never make mental prayer 
well. — 378. A second one consists in our believing it 
useless to apply ourselves to mental praper, since as yet 
Ave have not remarked any progress. — 379. If, with a 
good will, we give ourselves to the practice of mental 
prayer, we shall always progress. (St. Francis of Sales.) 

— 380. Do not measure the fruit of your meditations by 
the consolations, but by the good desires which you feel. 

— 381. The resolutions are the great fruit of medita- 
tion. (St. Francis of Sales.) — 382. A third illusion is, 
to believe ourselves advanced in virtue, because we 
have experienced good sentiments during meditation.— 
383. We are not under illusion, if we are disposed to 
work seriously at our own reform ; — 384, if we are chari- 
table (St. Francis of Sales) ; — 385, if we mortify our 
self-love and passions (St. Ignatius of Loyola) ;— 386, if 
we wish what God wishes (St. John of the Cross) ; — 387, 
above all, if we are humble and obedient. — 388. Let 
us, therefore, be as little children ii? the hands of God. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Hoiv we ought to endeavor to make our mental 
'prayer a "prayer of faith." 

3S9. We again lay stress on the role of faith; because 
faith is the principle, object, and instrument of every 
mental prayer. (Rev. Father Chaminade.) — 390. All 



329 



the acts of mental prayer are either directly or indirect- 
ly acts of faith. (Suarez.) — 391. Faith is the base and 
principle of every meditation; it alone can render med- 
itation possible and easy.— 392. The livelier your faith, 
the easier will meditation become. — 393. Faith is al- 
so the instrument of mental prayer; — 394, the habitual 
medium of communication with God. —395. It enlight- 
ens us about the truths on which we wish to meditate; 
— 396, it is the best means to obtain all from God; — 397, 
it puts us in relation with God and all his revelations 
to us. — 398. It is again from faith that we draw the 
dispositions necessary to meditate well. — 399. It is by 
faith that we commence the exercise of mental prayer 
and bring it to the highest perfection. — 400. By it we 
live in the supernatural regions. — 401. Faith is the 
common source of all virtues. — 402. The domain of 
faith, and consequently that of mental prayer, is im- 
mense. — 403. This domain is comprised in the Apos- 
tles' Creed. — 404. Father Chaminade advises us to 
choose our subjects of meditation from this symbol. — 
405. Credo. — 406-415. How we can meditate on the 
symbol of our faith. — 416. This symbol comprises ev- 
erything in the order of nature and that of grace. — 417. 
It answers all the questions which interest humanity. — 
418. It unrolls completed to our view the divine plan 
of the Creation and Redemption. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

How the Blessed Virgin is the >■ patroness and the model 
of men of mental prayer. 

419. The Blessed Virgin is the patroness and most per- 
fect model of men of mental prayer. —420. The best 
part was for her. — 421. Prayer is the most excellent 
thing we can do: examples of Jesus- and Mary. — 422. 



— 330 — 

The prayer of Mary had all the characters we have 
pointed out; — 423, it was a prayer of faith; — 424, her 
whole life was a life of faith. — 425. Her divine Son 
was pleased to exercise her faith. — 426. Her prayer 
was an exercise of the presence of God, — 427, of medita- 
tion, — 428, of supplication, — 429, of conformity to the will 
of God and of union with God. — 430. Beati qui audiunt 
verbum Dei et custodiunt illud, applied to the most holy 
Virgin. — 431. Mary is then the perfect model of men- 
tal prayer; may it be given us to resemble her. — 432. 
O Virgin Mary, obtain this grace for us! 

CHAPTER XX. 



A last tcord of the Guide, 

433. Be men of mental pray er and it suffices. — 434. 
Mental prayer is the soul of every prayer. — 435. With- 
out mental prayer, everything is done by routine — 436. 
Mental prayer can save everything. — 437, The repro- 
bate are in hell only because they neglected prayer. — 

438. The prayer of faith is a light wihch illuminates, — 

439, a celestial dew, which refreshes, a flame which 
warms the heart. —440. In mental prayer, we speak to 
God and God speaks to us. — 441. Words of St. Au- 
gustine on the excellence of mental prayer. — 442. It 
is in our own interest, that God wishes us to give our- 
selves to mental prayer. — 443. God wants to grant 
everything to us on condition that we ask it of him, and 
never cease to ask. — 444. The more you pray, the more 
useful you will be to yourself and to others. — 445. Ap- 
ply yourself then, whoever you may be, to mental pray- 
er : — 446, if you are a child, because childhood is the 
age of innocence, the age of our Savior's predilection; 
— 447, if a young man, because your necessities are 
more immediate, — 448, if an adult, because it is at this 



— 331 — 

age that you must show yourself a strong and perfect 
Christian, — 449, if an aged man, because you are more 
at leisure to pray that the will of God may be accom- 
plished in you, — 450, if a priest or religious, because 
you can neither be a good priest nor a good religious, 
unless you practice mental prayer.— 451. The demon 
has sworn to prevent you from making mental prayer: 
will he be master? — 452. Have you, until this day, un- 
derstood the necessity, facility, excellence, and advan- 
tages of mental prayer? — 453. Oportet semper orare et 
non deficere; may it be so. 



APPENDIX. 



/. — Preparation for mental prayer. 

Formulas or models of some acts which ordinarily 

form the introduction to mental prayer 285 

Summary of the preceding acts 292 

Other formulas 294 

77. Body of mental prayer. 

Questions or methods which may aid in producing 

the ordinary acts during mental prayer 299 

Texts or subjects for mental prayer 303 

III. Conclusion of mental prayer. 

Formulas or models of some acts which ordinarily 

form the conclusion of mental prayer 306 

Analytical table of contents 309 









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